Johannesburg – The Ormonde Primary School, south of Johannesburg, has been closed and learners turned away due to illegal water connection, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng said on Wednesday.
DA Gauteng education spokesperson, Khume Ramulifho, said the party discovered this during its visit to the school for the second time in as many weeks to inspect if learning and teaching had resumed since learners were turned away due to the lack of water at the school.
In a statement, Ramulifho said it was unacceptable that the school has no basic services preventing teaching and learning.
"The DA observed that the school was once again closed, water to the school is being supplied by means of an illegal connection," Ramulifho said.
"It is disturbing to discover that the department is making use of an illegal connection to supply water and all those involved must be held to account."
Ramulifho said the DA-led government in Johannesburg was taking the matter up with the provincial department, and that they will seek to to meet with the Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, to resolve this crisis.
"Parents are being placed in a difficult position with some having to take days off from work to look after their children," Ramulifho said.
"MEC Lesufi seems to enjoy cutting ribbons more than addressing the lack of basic services faced by many schools across the province and the basics must be put right first, then the photo-ops can follow. MEC Lesufi has a duty to ensure basic services are provided to all schools in the province."
However, acting spokesperson for the Gauteng Education, Oupa Bodibe, said the department had already delivered tanks to the school to be filled on Wednesday.
"This is an interim solution as we are still waiting for municipality to connect water and electricity to the school and we are expecting learning and teaching to continue without any disruption on Thursday," Bodibe said.