The Democratic Alliance (DA) visited the Zikhethele Secondary School in Devon, as part of an ongoing oversight visit to areas within the Lesedi Local Municipality affected by failing infrastructure, to monitor governance performance and connect with the community.
The oversight visit revealed a state of critical decline. The road infrastructure surrounding the school is failing, marked by numerous potholes.
This is compounded by a non-existent stormwater drainage system, which has resulted in severe flooding on the property. It was found that several classrooms have been flooded and are currently unable to be utilised by the school community, directly disrupting learning.
Local residents communicated to the oversight team that these issues are not new and have been persistently taking place since 2019. This leaves students broken and beaten down, as the feeling that there is no hope for change mounts, crushing motivation.
Despite the long-standing nature of these problems, the ANC-run Lesedi Municipality has failed to address these critical infrastructure failures in this community.
This clearly sends a message to these children that they are not valued and are forgotten by the ANC.
This neglect has left learners and residents to bear the brunt of an unsafe and deteriorating environment, as well as a deeper sense of loss of dignity.
The DA is calling for immediate action from the municipality to restore the school and create a conducive learning environment so that students’ dreams can be rekindled.