By Sbongile Nyamo
Cwebezela Primary School in Umlazi, south of Durban, has been left abandoned and vandalised following a significant decline in enrolment, raising concerns among community members about crime in the area.
Parents and members of the school governing body said the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education did not provide adequate support to the school and failed to properly communicate with the community about its closure.
Since the school was abandoned, parts of the infrastructure have deteriorated, with community members reporting incidents of vandalism and theft at the premises.
Nkosinathi Mbokazi, the Ward 31 secretary, said the community was disappointed with how the closure was handled.
“We are so hurt about how the Department of Basic Education managed this situation. We were supposed to be alerted early that they were going to close down the school,” said Mbokazi.
Community members said the abandoned school had also become a concern because of crime in the area.
Thobile Shezi, a community member, said people had already been affected by crime near the school.
“Recently, people were mugged when they were passing by the abandoned school building. We are afraid that this crime will escalate if the government is not doing anything about it,” said Shezi.
The closure has also affected people who relied on the school for employment.
Ningi Mfeka, a former teaching assistant, said losing her job had made it difficult to support her family.
“I worked at the school as a teaching assistant and I was able to provide food for my family, but now that the school has been closed, I can’t afford to support them,” said Mfeka.
Parents have also had to find alternative schools for their children, with some learners placed at schools far from their homes.
Mbalenhle Shezi, a learner who was forced to enrol at a school quite a distance from her home, said the transition was difficult.
“Starting at a new school was terrifying because I had no friends there and my previous school was an advantage to me because I did not walk a long distance,” said Shezi.
Community members said they hope the Department of Education will address their concerns and prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
