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The Democratic Alliance have written to the acting MEC for Education
in the Northern Cape today to demand immediate answers and a
resolution to the unacceptable situation developing at the Garies High
School in Kamiesberg.

Despite the fact that upgrades to the school hostel have been underway
for the past six months, progress is so slow as to be non-existent.
Learners are forced to stay in storage rooms without ventilation and
up to twelve learners are sleeping in one single room. While parents
were originally promised that the upgrades would be completed in time
for the start of the 2016 academic year, it now appears as if the
upgrades will only be completed in the next financial year.

We have asked the acting MEC for clarity in this regard. We also want
to know who appointed which contractor, what the main reasons for the
delays are, who will be held liable for poor construction and whether
or not any penalties will be imposed for the late completion of the
upgrades. We cannot allow a situation where shoddy work and poor
performance is being rewarded while learners suffer.

We have sent the acting MEC photographic evidence of conditions at the
school and hostel, which include exposed wires, leaking pipes, serious
water damage, mould on the ceiling, cracked tiles and a staircase
which has been blocked off to prevent its use. If she would not be
happy with these conditions at home, she cannot expect learners and
their parents to be happy with it at school or at hostel.

Parents in the community are losing patience with the conditions – and
rightfully so. The school has already lost more than eighty learners
and the learner enrolment has decreased from 350 to 265. Parents have
written to the Northern Cape department of Education and met with its
representatives without receiving any satisfactory response.

The situation must be rectified immediately and there must be
accountability for the poor management of this infrastructure project.
It is incredibly worrying that very few infrastructure projects in the
province are completed within time and on budget.

We trust that the acting MEC will respond to our call to take the
matter seriously and we will be following further developments
closely.

Issued by DA