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Learners and teachers at Randfontein Secondary School continue to be exposed to asbestos infrastructure which is posing a safety and health risk.

Instead of replacing this school with a brick-and-mortar structure, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) contracted a service provider six years ago to construct a wall to cover the asbestos material. The wall has cracked, and the bricks are starting to fall off which is a danger for both learners and teachers.

The community’s plea for a school to be built with a brick-and-mortar structure has fallen on deaf ears, and the school now relies on parents and donations to fix the dilapidated infrastructure.

There is also a severe lack of proper and regular maintenance of the school. The ceiling is falling off, gutters are damaged, and there is a challenge with the sewer infrastructure constantly overflowing, causing a health risk for learners.

This information was revealed during the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) oversight inspection at the school today.

Furthermore, Randfontein Secondary is one of many schools across the province that were failed by Premier Panyaza Lesufi , who failed on his promise to eradicate asbestos infrastructure and replace it with brick-and-mortar structures.

The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, must prioritise eradicating all asbestos infrastructure across the province.

We will also table questions to the MEC to ascertain when all the asbestos schools in Gauteng will be eradicated.

This department is failing in its core mandate to ensure that learning and teaching take place in a conducive learning environment.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education