In a shocking discovery, despite an investment of R65 million on school upgrades, pupils and teachers at a rural school in Kokstad have been left without access to running water, among numerous other defects.
These alarming findings were made during a recent oversight conducted by the KwaZulu-Natal public works portfolio committee at Xoloxolo Primary School in Bhongweni, Kokstad.
The inspection was initiated as part of a close-out report based on the auditor-general’s recommendation.
Almost a year after the project’s completion, critical upgrades remain incomplete.
The absence of grey water left the school reliant on collected water to flush toilets. Furthermore, the school's taps ran dry, leaving learners and teachers without drinking water.
Additional concerns presented to the committee included substandard workmanship, evidenced by broken stairs, railings, and downpipes, and expensive imported locks that are costly to replace.
Moreover, the installation of 3-phase power led to a monthly R15,000 bill, irrespective of usage, burdening the school's budget.
After the handover of the upgraded facility in August last year, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education was informed of the unresolved issues. Yet, no departmental officials have addressed these problems.
The Department of Public Works, on the other hand, claimed unawareness of the issues. Its only assurance was a vague mention of a retainer held from the contractor, without specifying an amount.
Further distressing is the nearly depleted budget for the project. It seems contractors have up to five years to address reported faults, allowing more time for problems to persist.
Marlaine Nair, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Spokesperson on Public Works in KwaZulu-Natal, underscored the suffering of learners and educators due to the department's inaction and subpar workmanship, decrying it as evidence of an uncaring government.
“This school was handed over in August last year. Despite the principal having reported the outstanding issues to KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) not a single departmental official has come to their aid and not a single issue has been dealt with. Meanwhile, KZN’s Department of Public Works has claimed that it was not made aware of the problems. The only assurance offered by this department was that it had taken a retainer from the contractor – but could not specify an amount,” she said.
During the KZN Public Works budget debate earlier this year, the DA had brought up dissatisfaction with the department's poor craftsmanship, even within the province's Human Settlements Department. The party also drew attention to the lack of efficient systems enabling defaulting contractors to secure work in different government spheres or municipalities.
Nair accused the ANC-run government of "ticking boxes and spending public money with no intention of producing quality results." She pledged the DA's continued oversight and commitment to holding KZN's government departments accountable.
Mlungisi Khumalo, spokesperson for the Department of Public Works said the Department of Public Works acknowledges the water issue previously experienced at Xoloxolo Primary School in Kokstad.
He said prior to the oversight visit conducted on Friday 9 June, the department had no knowledge of the water crisis due to miscommunication with the Department of Education.
“All major construction projects under the Department of Public Works have a Defect Liability Period which states that for a period on 12 months after completion, the department is still responsible and liable for any defects and challenges with the structure. In this instance the water crisis stemmed from two issues. Firstly, a burst pipe. Secondly, nobody at the school knew how to operate the backup system/pump. The water has been up and running from the day of the oversight visit and the department has ensured that the contractor has provided proper training to school personnel and provided a detailed manual fully outlining how to operate the backup system/pump,” Khumalo said.
Khumalo said that after learning of the problem the Department of Public Works immediately dispatched and deployed a team to resolve the issue as speedily as possible.
“The team is currently on site working on resolving the matter,” he said.
IOL