Community Outrage as Roodepoort's Durban Deep Primary Remains in Disrepair

For many years, the community of Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, has clung to the hope that Durban Deep Primary School would see a transformation from its current state of decay to a new brick-and-mortar institution, as promised by the Gauteng Department of Education. Today, they face the grim reality that their children are still ensconced in a crumbling environment unfit for educational pursuits.

Durban Deep Primary School has a student population of over 1,200, making it a bustling hub of young learners. However, the learning conditions are far from ideal. The prefabricated classrooms, a donation from a mining operation, are deteriorating, failing to provide a safe educational space as they succumb to the corrosive touch of time.

Adding to the woes, in a visit conducted by GroundUp, reporters bore witness to the abysmal conditions of the ablution facilities at the school. Dirty toilets overflow while some stand without doors, and puddles of foul-smelling liquids surround the structures. On top of this, the educational sanctuaries themselves, the classrooms, suffer from broken windows and rusted exteriors.

The land designated for the new school construction is currently occupied by shack dwellers, further complicating the replacement process. It's been a long journey filled with broken promises, and during this time, the health and safety of the children have remained in jeopardy. Parents have been vocal about their dissatisfaction and concern, with a torrent of complaints about the level of neglect from fixtures to the hygiene standards at the school.

Local authorities, including Ward 127 Councillor Lwanda Ncibane Bini, express their frustration over the mismanaged situation. Notably, the school's electricity supply is erratic at best, serviced only by a generator—when it works. The ripple effect of negligence extends to the children’s basic human rights, where access to clean water is a daily challenge. The provision of three functioning taps is grossly inadequate for the thirsty minds.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has taken a definitive stance, pointing fingers directly at MEC for Education Matome Chiloane for propagating what they've identified as misinformation regarding the completion date of the new school. A declaration that the school would be finalized by the end of March 2023 has been identified as much less fact and far more fiction.

Despite the palpable frustrations, there's a shimmer of hope, as the fight for the learners of Durban Deep Primary continues. The goal remains clear and unchanged: to deliver a conducive learning environment where the children can thrive. However, the uncertain timeline and the history of unkept promises weigh heavily on the community's collective conscience.