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It took eight years and one video on social media, showing the extensive water damage caused by leaking municipal reservoirs to the adjacent sports courts and rugby fields of the Northern Cape High School, to spur the Sol Plaatje Municipality into action.
The water leaks have also affected the district offices of the Department of Education, also adjacent to the reservoirs.
Water from the Newton reservoirs have, according to school governing body (SGB) chairperson Shouneez Kimmie-Wookey, been leaking into the school terrain since 2016.
'Problem reported many times'
“The problem had been reported by the school in conjunction with the Department of Education to the municipality many times. Yet nothing was done to solve the problem and it became worse. As the municipality did not respond to our pleas, we posted the video on social media to attract the attention and demonstrate the extent of the damage.”
In the video, the water-clogged fields and damaged surfaced are seen from a drone camera. In the accompanying text it is claimed that “sport has the transformative power to profoundly impact students’ lives and is a gateway to personal growth and excellence. But how can learners excel in sport when they lack access to their athletic facilities? It is a shame that our future Springbok or Protea players are being denied their right to become successful athletes.”
“The video attracted attention and recently we had an urgent meeting with the head of department (HOD) of Education, Dr. Michelle Ismael, and municipal manager, Thapelo Matlala. They committed to divert the water away from the school terrain, after which an assessment will be done as to how the terrain and facilities will be rehabilitated.
“The previous SGB handed over a report to us outlining the damage supported by an engineering report.”
The tennis and netball courts are ruined and damaged, the rugby fields too. The pump house is submerged, therefore the pool is dirty and cannot be cleaned. Water is constantly flowing into the building complex and hostels.
The sport terrain is inaccessible and learners cannot relax there during breaks.
'Agreed on course of action'
Thabo Mothibi, municipal spokesperson, says they had “a highly cordial and focused government-to-government meeting held between the Sol Plaatje Municipality, the Department of Education, and the school’s management and SGB.
“All agreed on a course of action and protocol channels to ensure all matters are resolved amicably.
“The immediate action entails clearing the vegetation to enable us to identify all leaks and sources of spillages. An interim cut-off drain will be created to divert the water away from the school. We already started to fix the leaks on the Newton reservoir terrain, and more work will be undertaken in May with minimal water interruptions as the leak repairs will be done on weekends and at night.”
The long-term intervention of replacing old pipes and the broader refurbishment of the Newton reservoirs will also unfold as part of the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) allocation of R2,5 billion in the next six months.
“We will, with immediate effect, assist to rehabilitate the swimming pool and flooded pump station. The sports grounds rehabilitation is a matter of discussion when all leaks have been fixed. A proper assessment will be done, and we will study the school’s engineer report.”
Committed to immediately intervene'
Geoffrey van der Merwe, department spokesperson, confirms the problems have persisted for several years and were brought to the attention of the municipality.
“We met with the municipality and the management of the Northern Cape High School to address the unfortunate situation at the school. In the main, the sport facilities are affected, where learners are unable to participate in extramural activities, which plays a crucial part in their holistic development.
“The municipality has committed to immediately intervene and divert the water away from our district office and the Northern Cape High School as an interim measure. The municipality will further do an assessment of the school infrastructure where damages might have been caused by the water leak. The department will monitor the developments closely to afford learners the opportunity to participate in sporting codes and to create a safe environment for learning and teaching.”
