Ageing school infrastructure a ticking time-bomb

5 February 2019

The horrific accident which occurred at the Driehoek Hoërskool on Friday where four pupils were tragically killed is as a result of ageing school infrastructure that has long been a ticking time-bomb in our province.

Infrastructure project failure is endemic in schools in Gauteng. There are dozens of examples of schools where shoddy workmanship, contractors abandoning projects and ghost projects have taken place.

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) consistent calls for urgent intervention to prevent accidents, such as the one which occurred at Driehoek, have long been ignored.

The ANC in Gauteng has failed to spend its infrastructure budget. Equally the infrastructure budget has shown a huge decline over the past 4 years. Last year it was supposed to spend R2.1 billion, this year they will only try to spend R1.6 billion, and next year R1.4 billion. There has been a continuous budget cut with regards to school infrastructure.

Infrastructure is critical to creating a conducive environment for learning and teaching. The DA believes that every child must be provided with an opportunity to learn in a safe and nurturing environment to develop and reach their potential.

There should be no injuries or deaths due to the collapse of school infrastructure.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho, DA Team One Gauteng Spokesperson on Education, 5 February 20191