Kuyasa Primary School learners, parents and community members marched to the Western Cape Education Department’s offices this afternoon, demanding urgent intervention over overflowing drains and sewage problems at the school.
All teaching and learning have been suspended since last Friday as a result of the unresolved issue.
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A parent with two children at the school said the problem was first reported to the department in 2024, but despite repeated complaints, little has been done.
Sinazo Yekiso said the school has used money raised through fundraising efforts to carry out repairs, but can no longer afford to shoulder the cost.
“Every two weeks, the school tries to fix the toilets, but there is no improvement. The school doesn’t have the money to keep fixing these toilets every two weeks because the government is not assisting,” said Yekiso.
Learners and parents from Kuyasa Primary School challenged the Western Cape Education Department and said if they refused to meet, they’ll take their concerns directly to the department’s offices.
The statement comes amid ongoing sanitation problems at the Khayelitsha school, where sewage has been overflowing from drains on the premises.
After a meeting last Thursday, parents and members of the School Governing Body agreed to suspend classes, as the stench had become unbearable.
Parents claim the problem began two years ago and has repeatedly been reported to the department, but they say little has been done to resolve it.
Grade 6 and 7 learners, accompanied by parents and a Kuyasa ward councillor, gathered outside the Education Department’s offices in the Cape Town CBD, while they waited to be addressed by officials.
Parents said both learners and teachers had become ill because of the sewage, with some children suffering from skin rashes and diarrhoea.
School Governing Body deputy chairperson and parent, Thandiswa Bulani, said involving learners in the protest is meant to highlight the severity of the situation and the community’s frustration.
“The City of Cape Town says it cannot intervene because the blockage is located within privately owned property, meaning responsibility for repairs rests with the school,” she said.
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Mihle George
www.ewn.co.za