Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Sergio Isa Dos Santos MPL.
- Mayibuye High School learners trapped in unsafe, overcrowded, and undignified conditions due to GDE neglect.
- The DA demands answers on why the school has been allowed to deteriorate since opening in 2024.
- A DA-led government would prioritise safe classrooms and adequate support staff.
Mayibuye Secondary School learners in Commercia, Midrand, remain trapped in dangerous, overcrowded classrooms, with few teachers to deliver the quality education they deserve. Meanwhile, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) continues to ignore their struggles.
The shocking conditions at Mayibuye Secondary School were uncovered during an oversight inspection yesterday. We found many Grade 9 learners wandering outside due to a severe shortage of space to accommodate them. The school currently serves approximately 1 400 learners, with between 60 and 70 learners squeezed into a single classroom.
The majority of the mobile container classrooms are more than two decades old. Their ceiling boards have fallen, while others are hanging precariously above learners and teachers. Most classrooms have no electricity; their windows are broken, and some are infested with flies.
See the photos here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Some of the girls’ toilets have no doors, stripping learners of their privacy. The unhygienic condition of the ablution facilities has also led to some girls suffering from infections. The school also faces ongoing vandalism and theft, with copper cables and taps repeatedly stolen. Leaking infrastructure has caused water to flow across the school grounds, and the lack of a general assistant has led to increased litter. At the same time, the school’s nutrition programme feeds only 350 learners on a first-come, first-served basis.
The DA will submit written questions to Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile to determine why the school has been allowed to deteriorate to this extent, why a new school was established under these conditions, and what immediate measures the department will implement to resolve this issue.
This site was previously occupied by Mayibuye Primary School, which was moved to a new facility after sustained DA pressure. Due to the demand for schooling in the area, the department subsequently established Mayibuye Secondary School on the same premises.
What is shocking is that, since the school was established in 2024, the GDE has done little to improve its condition and create an environment conducive to teaching and learning. Even more concerning is that the department intends to introduce Grade 12 at the school from 2027.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would focus on making schools safe and conducive to teaching and learning. At Mayibuye Secondary School, this means replacing unsafe mobile classrooms, addressing infrastructure backlogs, ensuring adequate support staff, and providing necessary resources for learners and teachers to succeed.