SGB closes school over crumbling infrastructure
Pupils and teachers arriving for the start of the third term on Tuesday were met with locked gates secured with new locks.
Teaching and learning at Indlovana Primary School in Greytown ground to a halt this week after the school governing body (SGB) locked the school gates in protest over what it describes as years of ignored pleas to fix crumbling infrastructure.
Pupils and teachers arriving for the start of the third term on Tuesday were met with locked gates secured with new locks, with the SGB declaring the school closed until the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education provides clear answers on when repairs will be carried out.
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In a notice sent to parents, the school confirmed the shutdown.
Please be informed that, due to unforeseen circumstances, pupils should remain at home until further notice.
“We will communicate with you as soon as we receive feedback from the Department of Education regarding the matter raised by the SGB,” the statement read.
The SGB said the decision follows years of deteriorating conditions that now pose a direct threat to the safety of pupils and staff.
SGB chairperson Nana Mkhize said the school’s roof is “falling apart”, with ceiling boards frequently collapsing and rainwater entering classrooms, often damaging textbooks and learning materials.
“When it rains, water comes into classrooms and destroys books. The ceiling boards fall, sometimes onto pupils. This is not a safe environment,” she said.
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The safety concerns have already resulted in injuries.
Mkhize said three Grade 3 pupils were hospitalised after a ceiling board collapsed on them, while a teacher has been on sick leave since March after falling through a hole in one of the ageing mobile classrooms and breaking her leg.
The teacher had to undergo an operation due to the injury.
The mobile classrooms are also in a terrible condition, with holes and structural damage. It is a risk every day for both teachers and pupils. Our children are young and playful, sometimes they go under these mobile classrooms to get either their pens or anything that falls inside.
“We can’t imagine what would happen if these classrooms fall apart while a child is underneath,” she said.
She added some of the school bathrooms were also damaged and often leaked but they had taken a decision, as the school, to fix them.
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Mkhize said the issues were first formally raised with the department in 2022 when a new principal was appointed.
At the time, the school was told it was third on the list for renovations.
“In 2024, when the new SGB came in, we followed up and were told we were now number one. Officials came to assess the school and agreed that it is dangerous for both pupils and teachers, but nothing has been done.
“At that time, we were happy and looking forward to seeing our school finally being fixed,” she said.
Despite repeated visits to the district office, the SGB claims there has been no progress.
Mkhize questioned the delay in addressing the school’s condition.
Are they waiting for the roof to fall and kill a child or teacher before they act? We cannot wait for that.
“These are our children and they have a right to learn in a safe environment,” she said.
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The SGB has vowed that the school will remain closed until the department acknowledges their concerns and provides a clear timeline for repairs.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
