The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga is grateful that Masinakane Special Needs School has finally been acknowledged and recognised that it needs urgent attention for the sake of the many special needs learners who attend the school.
After many years of the DA fighting for special schools regarding proper boarding/hostel facilities for learners, Mpumalanga Education MEC, Cathy Dlamini, visited the Masinakane Special School in Dr JS Maroka Local Municipality on Wednesday 11 December 2024.
Recently, the local community handed over a petition to the Mpumalanga Legislature asking the provincial government to intervene and assist with renovations at this school.
The department promised that the boarding facilities of Masinakane special school will be registered in the beginning of 2024. Registration is very important otherwise the hostel staff responsible for the learners’ care cannot be paid by the department. This put an extra responsibility and stress on already stretched parents. Unfortunately, the registration didn’t happen and the end result was that the school were fined R700 000 by the department of Labour and closed the boarding facilities.
To the community MEC Dlamini promised at this meeting that the department will start building the boarding school next year, 2025. The DA will definitely oversee that when the budget for 2025/26 is appropriated, the boarding school for Masinakane Special Needs School is included as it was not done for the 2024/2025 financial year.
During her visit on Wednesday, MEC Dlamini made a commitment to the School Governing Body (SGB) that the unregistered hostel at Masinakane will not be closed for the next school year. But the school needs to register officially with the department as soon as they re-open in 2025 in order for the hostel employees to be paid. This is great news as 80 learners will continue their education with the hostel remaining open.
The DA does welcome these decisions, commitments and promises, but encourages the department of education and Public Works to ensure that this process needs to start immediately in 2025. The DA will also like to plead with the provincial government that this project must not take-5 years to complete as the learners are dependent on this accommodation to receive their education and care.
The DA will put pressure on the Mpumalanga provincial government to ensure that they have a budget to complete this project without delays.