R138m to repair damaged schools

THE Basic Education departments in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng are estimating at R138 million the costs to 158 schools damaged during the mass looting and damage to property during protests in July.

The damage caused has added to the number of vandalised schools since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March last year.

Briefing the parliamentary committees yesterday, acting head of the KwaZulu-Natal Education Department, Barney Mthembu, said 144 schools, eight education circuit management offices and three education centres were verified as being damaged.

“There were losses of school property and damage to infrastructure, including classrooms,” Mthembu said.

He also said the estimated costs stood at R100 362 000 after verification showed there were, in fact, 144 schools damaged as opposed to the 137 initially reported. “The damages did not stop the re-opening of schools in the province, and some of the schools were provided with mobile classrooms,” Mthembu said.

Albert Chanee, the Gauteng Education Department’s deputy director-general for strategic planning management, said 20 cases were reported since schools closed in June.

Chanee said 14 of the 20 schools were incidents that occurred between July 8 and 17 “during the social unrest period in the province”.

“Rehabilitation and replacement costs for the 14 schools are estimated at R38m,” he said.

Chanee also said six schools were still being assessed and would be costed.

He told the MPs that since Covid19 last year a total of 401 schools have been affected by arson, vandalism and break-ins.

A total of 54 schools were affected in the 2021 academic year at an estimated cost of R53m. Chanee said vandalism costs were not planned and budgeted for in their infrastructure plans.

Granville Whittle, the national department’s deputy director-general, said the damages in the two provinces took place as they were still repairing more than 1 700 schools damaged since the Covid-19 outbreak.

Education Minister Angie Motshekga said losing infrastructure was one of the big challenges in the sector.

“Losing one school or getting one form of vandalism is a big problem. We have suffered severe challenges in KZN and Gauteng,” she said.