EFF’s land invasion has moved to schools

4 April 2018

The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu Natal has written to the MEC of Education, Mthandeni Dlungwana, and his colleague Ravi Pillay, the MEC for Public Works, to urgently intervene in resolving the chaos that has broken out at Phambili High School in Rossburgh. This follows an alleged EFF land invasion incident that happened at a school. It is alleged that EFF members forced their way into the school premises and removed desks, chairs and other equipment from two classrooms. This alleged incident happened over the weekend.

The Democratic Alliance strongly condemns this incident and is asking Minister Dlungwana to show leadership by bringing back order at Phambili. This school has a long history of violence regarding classroom invasions, illegal tenants and hijacked buildings. In 2015 illegal tenants were removed from the main school building. In February this year, learners embarked on a violent protest over illegal tenants occupying the school. The school currently has an enrolment of 1013 learners, yet only has 17 classrooms. This has resulted in gross classroom overcrowding and learner and parent unhappiness. After the February protests, in the presence of the police, illegal tenants vacated 3 classrooms to be used for teaching and learning.

Phambili High School has a prestigious history. It was formed in 1986 as a finishing school for the children of freedom fighters and student activists who were kicked out of public schools for fighting Apartheid. It moved to its current Rossburgh premises, after Laerskool Saamwerk closed in 1997. The illegal tenants moved onto the premises in the late 1990s, after the former caretaker of the school failed to return the keys and started renting out rooms to local people. There was Durban High Court ruling in 2005 that the tenants be removed to municipal temporary housing, however, up until now that has not been implemented.

Fast-forward to today, the tenants are still illegally occupying the premises that the school desperately needs for classrooms. The EFF has now also jumped on the bandwagon. It is shocking that the EFF is denying quality education to learners at a school dedicated to teaching learners who were denied quality education by the Apartheid government. The EFF is perpetuating the educational inequality and injustices of the past.

I have also written to the Provincial Police Commissioner, General Langa asking for an investigation of the police inaction during the land invasion.

The Democratic Alliance will continue to fight for the right of learners to have a proper learning environment. With schools reopening next week, we are concerned about increased violence when learners and parents realise that their classrooms have been invaded. It is a shame that the party like the EFF with its leaders prioritizing education yet they want to prevent other learners from getting accessing education.

Issued by Rishigen Viranna, DA KZN Spokesperson on Education, 4 April 2017