Note to editors: Please find attached soundbite by Michael Waters MPL.
The Gauteng Department of Education’s reckless decision to cancel school security contracts without conducting a risk assessment has endangered learners and teachers’ lives and even resulted in tragic losses. The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to GDE MEC Matome Chiloane demanding the immediate reinstatement of accredited security guards at high-risk schools and a detailed explanation of how the decision to remove them was taken without any risk analysis.
The Gauteng Department of Education’s acknowledgement of its reckless decision is contained in MEC Chiloane’s response to DA questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
See reply here.
According to MEC Chiloane, the department did not assess the financial impact of withdrawing security guards and the projected cost of vandalism, burglary, and arson. It also did not consider the safety implications for learners, teachers, and school staff, or the systemic consequences for high-risk schools already under criminal threat.
Yet, despite this complete absence of due diligence, the department went ahead and removed properly trained security guards from schools across the province.
This dangerous decision has already had devastating consequences. Last month, a principal and an administrator at Enxiweni Primary School in Tembisa were shot dead on school premises.
This is not mismanagement; it is gross negligence.
Schools are high-value public assets costing hundreds of millions to build. Many of them are facing challenges such as gang activity, break-ins, and theft of critical infrastructure. The department’s decision was made unilaterally and clearly did not consider these issues.
To make matters worse, MEC Chiloane claims that the department replaced trained security personnel with “patrollers”. However, these patrollers are not PSIRA-accredited, not trained, not deployed after hours, not present on weekends, and not available during school holidays.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would not have taken this short-sighted, irresponsible and deadly decision, but would have kept trained security personnel in our schools to protect learners, teachers and staff.
The DA will not rest until MEC Chiloane, and the department are held accountable for this unjustifiable decision that has put learners at such avoidable risk.