Tembisa residents deeply concerned about deteriorating state of schools

JOHANNESBURG - Tembisa residents say they are deeply concerned about the deteriorating state of schools, which they described as a ticking time bomb.

A School of Specialisation built in 2022 has been neglected with shattered windows and a deteriorating roof.

Earlier in the week, 18 pupils at a Tembisa primary school were hurt when a roof in their classroom collapsed.

Parents are now worried about the safety of their children at some of the schools in the area.

Old furniture could be seen scattered between classrooms, while a section of the roof was missing, leaving wooden panels exposed at the School of Specialisation.

Classrooms with smart TVs were dark, a testament to the power outage that persisted for several months.

A concerned teacher, Michael Motloung, told Eyewitness News that the crumbling infrastructure not only posed a constant threat to teaching and learning - but also raised safety concerns for pupils.

“Learners would be running up and down looking for chairs because there’s not enough. You go to the toilets, there’s urine on the floor, the pipes are not working, the windows are broken, some of the class ceilings falling – it’s a disaster.”

Meanwhile, Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane said it was not true that the department was failing to sort out decaying infrastructure at schools.