A school in Cowdray Park’s Ward 6 reportedly relies on a single Blair toilet for teachers and students due to a lack of sewer connection, according to Councillor Nkosinathi Hove-Mpofu.
Councillor Hove-Mpofu expressed his concerns during an interview with CITE on Asakhe Online’s “Fix My City” program on Friday.
He emphasised the urgent need for action to safeguard the health of both the children and their teachers.
“The situation at Vulindlela Primary School in my ward is worrying,” he said. “The area lacks sewer connection, and the school is no exception. There’s only one toilet at the entire facility, serving teachers and learners of all grades, including Early Childhood Development (ECD).”
“This raises serious health concerns at the school. They also have limited water access. A Jojo tank is filled by a bowser twice a week, but sometimes the provided water isn’t enough for the whole school.”
Councillor Hove-Mpofu further noted the school’s inadequate classrooms to accommodate the enrolled students.
“The school suffers from a classroom shortage,” he explained. “Some children are forced to learn outdoors, while in other cases, two classes share the same classroom. The infrastructure is simply inadequate.”
“Shutting down the school while they fix these issues wouldn’t be a good solution,” he continued. “We already have a shortage of schools in this suburb. Some residents who can afford it have enrolled their children in schools located in Ward 28, roughly 5 kilometres away. We can only hope the city council addresses this situation with the urgency it deserves.”
Meanwhile, Ward 28 Councillor, Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu, has repeatedly urged the city council to address the lack of primary schools in the suburb.
During the latest full council meeting, Councillor Ndlovu highlighted that most schools in the area enroll more students than their designated capacity, resulting in overcrowding. He emphasized the need for more schools to be built in the rapidly growing suburb to accommodate all the children and provide quality education services.
