Theft and vandalism of school infrastructure at Wedela Technical High School in Merafong Local Municipality is denying over 1,400 learners access to uninterrupted, quality education. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng demands that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) urgently act and engage the Merafong Local Municipality to restore basic services, including water and electricity, and enhance security at this school, ensuring uninterrupted schooling.
During a recent oversight visit, the DA discovered that the school has been without electricity for seven years and has faced repeated disruptions due to water outages. Cable theft by Zama Zamas is rampant and taking place openly. Trenches have been dug both inside and outside the school premises to strip the underground electric cables, and underground water pipes have been damaged. These reckless acts of vandalism have left the school in darkness and taps dry.
See photos here, here, here, here and here.
The situation has been worsened by the GDE’s withdrawal of security guards last year. As a result, science laboratories have been damaged, and school substations have been vandalised. Additionally, a generator donated by a local mining company has been destroyed.
Learners and educators must collect water in buckets to use the ablution facilities. The only Jojo tank on site, provided by the local municipality, is uncovered and exposed to possible contamination, making the water unsafe to drink. As a technical school, Wedela Technical High relies heavily on electricity for its practical lessons and machinery such as lathes. Without power, learners are deprived of meaningful education and critical skills development.
The continued failure to address the infrastructure crisis in our education system indicates that the Premier Panyaza Lesufi-led government lacks a concrete plan to fix our schools and create environments that promote quality education. Instead, they are more focused on making empty promises and allocating budgets that they cannot even spend on making our schools centres of excellence.
The DA has already submitted questions to the GDE MEC Matome Chiloane to determine why security personnel were withdrawn from Wedela, how much was allocated to the school in the past five years, and steps taken to address the recurring electricity and water challenges, among others.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would ensure that the GDE works with Public Safety and the Merafong Municipality to replace stolen cables, restore water, and urgently reinstate on-site security. We would also move swiftly in providing portable flushable toilets to ensure that learners and staff have access to safe and dignified sanitation facilities.