No-fees school in Limpopo is struggling due to vandalism

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A no-fees school in Limpopo is struggling to survive. The combined school has been broken into countless times. Now vandals have ripped the school apart and continue to strip the school like a car. 

The Sereme Combined School in 5 Morgan near Dennilton, outside Groblersdal, has been hit by vandalism. The vandals have stolen items such as a fridge, computers, televisions, and a micro oven. Now parents are keeping food for learners in their houses for safe keeping. 

When there were no computers meant for the learners feeding scheme, vandals have taken to stripping the school of anything they can find. They also stole the soccer poles from the grounds.  When The Daily Vox visited the school, we found the school with gaping holes on its mobile structures. This was after window frames were stolen and the windows were broken down. The fence had also been torn apart with holes to allow access. This is the situation that greeted The Daily Vox upon the visit to the school.

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During the visit, we noticed that the toilets used were in a bad state and posed a health risk to learners and teachers. An inside source at the school said they were worried that toilets in the school were not in good condition. They fear that their kids may suffer from waterborne diseases such as cholera, malaria and typhoid. There is only one running tap water in the school premises. 

Learners are attending lessons in a dilapidated structure with broken windows. The school houses about 1000 learners from Grade 0 to 12 with 30 teachers  and two general workers. “We are worried that during winter, our kids will have to brave the cold weather and attend lessons in classes with broken windows. It is totally unacceptable indeed,” the source said. 

“We keep beans, soya, pumpkin, cabbages that they cook for learners in our houses for safekeeping. They sometimes perish and we fear that they may cause learners to suffer from food poisoning,” she explained.

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According to the source, the Limpopo department of education is aware of this school. However, they are not doing anything to ensure that kids are not at risk of getting infected from the killer disease known as Covid 19.

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Featured image by Thomo Nkgadima.