Parents and School Governing Body (SGB) members at Renalerona Secondary School in Weltevrede, near Mareetsane in the North West, say their patience is wearing thin, as a promise to build them a new school was not kept.
The school, built by the community in 1992, was closed by the Department of Labour on 27 August this year following findings of non-compliance with health and safety regulations.
It was later reopened when additional mobile classrooms were delivered. Parents say the mobile classrooms are not sufficient, and that learners have lost two months of learning while the school remains in a deplorable state.
Learners were forced to remain at home from the beginning of the third term due to the closure. Parents are now furious, saying learners carry the anxiety of lost time.
“We as the SGB approached the government several times, but eventually formed a community committee in the hope that our concerns would be heard. The government has since promised to intervene.”
“I want the school demolished and rebuilt because it was built in 1992. I disagree with renovations and want a complete rebuild.”
“My daughter, who is in Grade 8 here in Renalerona, constantly asks whether she will have to repeat the grade next year.”
According to School Governing Body chairperson Andries Mothusi, the deterioration was not sudden. Mothusi says that despite repeated formal engagements with the department, no substantive intervention was forthcoming.
Mothusi says, “The Department of Labour inspected the school and closed it due to its deteriorating condition. Grades 7 to 11 were unable to attend classes, while grade 12 learners continued learning in the only two mobile classrooms they had. The school has cracked walls and ceilings, with some ceilings collapsing.”
The North West Department of Education says it has experienced a delay in appointing a contractor for major renovations at the school, and provided mobile classrooms as a temporary measure.
North West Department of Education spokesperson Mercy Mokgatle elaborates, “The department acknowledges the concerns raised regarding the condition of the school’s infrastructure and the impact this has had on teaching and learning. As part of its contingency measures to minimise disruptions to teaching and learning, the department had provided three mobile classrooms before the school’s closure. Following the closure, an additional four mobile classrooms were delivered on 5 October 2026, bringing the total number to seven.”
Parents say their children’s rights have been infringed through prolonged neglect and the subsequent loss of time.
Renalerona Secondary parents demand promised new school
Story by: Tsholofelo Sekwena