THE mother of a grade 5 pupil at Durban Deep Primary School in Matholesville, Roodeeport is unhappy with the conditions at the school.
She raised issues concerning the inadequate and unhygienic toilet facilities at the school.
When Daily Sun visited the school on Wednesday, 10 January, the SunTeam found that the school's toilets were still in a bad condition and were not suitable for pupils and staff.
Some of the toilets, which are said to be non-functioning, were locked, while several toilets had no doors and pose a threat to the health and safety of pupils.
One of the parents told Daily Sun that pupils could be seen playing in front of the toilets which have no doors, and she believes that this poses a health hazard as those toilets need to be cleaned.
“We once came to the school last year to check the issue of the toilets. Upon our arrival, the toilets were not in a good state. They were dirty and some were not working.
"We made a request to the school that if there are no cleaners, they should allow parents to help clean the toilets. It's not healthy that pupils use a dirty toilet and then go back to the classrooms without even washing their hands,” said Gomolemo Bonokwane.
She said the school has broken windows, which is a big problem in winter. “When it's cold our children catch flu because of these broken windows,” she said.
Gomolemo said that the learning environment is not conducive and if she had money and was working, she'd send her child to a private school.
ActionSA Gauteng chairman Funzi Ngobeni told Daily Sun that their visit to the school in 2023 revealed several issues including inadequate and unhygienic toilet facilities and sewage flowing through the school yard.
He said it is disappointing that when the school opens, they will find no improvements.
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“To our disappointment we found that things are still the same. The kids will find that windows are still broken. Our kids will have to learn in a very terrible environment,” said Ngobeni.
He said it's rather tragic that more 1 200 pupils from grades R to 7 have been subjected to such dire circumstances as a result of the provincial government's total disregard and neglect.
He said this is despite promises by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to residents of Durban Deep to attend to the persisting challenges such as repair and maintenance of sanitation and toilet facilities.
Education department comment to follow.
