The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has abandoned an Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre, Acunamatata Nursery School, in Hatfield, Tshwane, depriving children of access to a nursery school.
This is a burden to parents and guardians who now pay for transportation for their children to commute to nearby areas to access nursery schools.
This centre, which closed in 2017 due to high water and electricity bills, has been illegally invaded.
Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight inspection at the nursery school, and we discovered that the building is dilapidated, and allegedly used as a drug den.
We were also shocked to learn that nearly 20 people claimed to have been paying rent of R1000 to the GDE’s officials since 2017.
The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, institute an urgent investigation into these allegations of department officials collecting monthly rentals from the illegal occupants.
Should it be found that these allegations are true, criminal cases must be opened and disciplinary action taken against those implicated.
In addition, we demand that the department reclaim this nursery school and repurpose it for educational purposes.