Learners at Ezibeleni School for Physically Disabled Children in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, quality of lives are being severely compromised due to a severe shortage of assistive devices such as wheelchairs and walkers. Despite this inhumane situation, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has failed to intervene. Members of the School Governing Body (SGB) are reportedly too afraid to speak out about the conditions affecting the children.
These shocking circumstances were witnessed first-hand during a recent oversight inspection by the Democratic Alliance (DA). The DA again calls on the GDE to urgently relocate the school to a safe and dignified facility, unfreeze all critical posts, and put an end to the intimidation and silencing of SGB members.
This school has been operating for 13 years on a dangerously unstable dolomitic site. A large sinkhole has rendered portions of the school unusable, sewage leaks are posing health risks, and there are serious security breaches. Despite these issues, over 250 vulnerable learners, many of whom have severe disabilities, continue to attend school on this unstable land, facing daily threats to their safety.
See photos here, here and here.
However, the crisis goes beyond infrastructure. The members of the School Governing Body (SGB) disclosed that GDE officials had told them not to talk to us or discuss their concerns with the media. This is a gross violation of the constitution because SGBs are democratically elected by communities to represent the interests of learners and parents, not to be gagged by bureaucrats wanting to evade accountability. If there’s nothing to hide, why is Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government silencing the voices of those closest to the crisis?
What makes this even more outrageous is that solutions are available, and they would create jobs. The school urgently needs therapists, specialist educators, drivers, and aides. These are vacant posts that could be filled today if GDE had the political will to do so. Instead, they remain frozen, while thousands of trained professionals remain unemployed. It was only after sustained pressure from DA that a new principal was appointed at Ezibeleni. A Gauteng minority government that claims to care about job creation and the economy should not be the one obstructing employment, particularly when those jobs are critical to delivering essential services to vulnerable children.
The DA Gauteng will write to Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane to demand immediate answers on why his department continues to ignore the dolomite threat at Ezibeleni, despite repeated warnings and clear evidence of danger. The MEC will also need to clarify plans and timelines for rebuilding the school and filling vacancies. We also demand a full investigation into who instructed the SGB members to remain silent and a written assurance that this will never happen again.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would never have allowed children with disabilities to be subjected to such inhumane conditions in the first place. From the outset, we would have ensured that Ezibeleni was located on safe, stable land and fully equipped with the necessary infrastructure and assistive devices. We would have filled all critical posts with qualified, unemployed professionals, empowering the school to function with dignity and care.