The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the Public Protector’s decision to investigate tenders that were awarded by the Mpumalanga Department of Education related to school toilet infrastructure which cost R 2.6 million despite the fact that construction never materialized.
The DA wrote to the Office of Public Protector requesting an investigation into the Department after concerned parents and community members protested against outdated infrastructure at Matsamo Primary School in Schoemansdal.
Concerns of children being taught in a dangerous and unconducive learning environment where infrastructure is falling apart, resulted in parents shutting down the school.
Upon further investigation by the DA, it was revealed that Matsamo Primary was listed as one of the schools in the Department’s infrastructure projects for Enhlanzeni and that 10 pit toilets were to be demolished and replaced with 28 flush toilets.
However, since the initiation of the project back in 2019, not a single flush toilet has been erected. And yet, in a report from the Department it is declared that the project started on 1 September 2019 and was completed on 28 February 2020.
Due to the school still not having flush toilets, learners had no choice but to return back to school regardless of these deplorable conditions.
The Public Protector has informed the DA that they have received and recorded a similar complaint from another source which they are pursuing.
We hope that the Public Protector will finalize the investigation speedily in order to ensure that those involved in this alleged corruption is held to account from robbing learners of their dignity.