Gauteng learners are dying because of the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) failure to address the crumbling infrastructure in our schools. The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls for urgent and decisive intervention to prevent further tragedies and ensure that our schools are safe and compliant with health and safety standards.
This follows the tragic death of a Grade 3 learner after a wall collapsed at Lerutle Primary School in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni. Reports indicate that the wall collapsed during break-time, resulting in the death of one learner while injuring of others.
The DA extends heartfelt condolences to the learner’s family and the broader school community affected by this tragedy.
This incident is a stark reminder that unsafe school infrastructure continues to put Gauteng learners at risk under the leadership of MEC Matome Chiloane who has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he is not the right man to lead this troubled department and giving him a dual role worsens the situation.
While the DA welcomes the investigation called by MEC Chiloane, we are deeply concerned that, time and time again, systemic failures in infrastructure maintenance and oversight across the province are costing learners’ lives and turning our schools into danger zones.
The DA reiterates our call for the GDE to ensure that all school infrastructure is regularly inspected, properly maintained, and safe for both learners and educators. The first step must be to immediately conduct a comprehensive audit of all schools and implement corrective measures to ensure full compliance with safety standards.
The DA is the only party that can make infrastructure efficient by introducing mandatory, routine safety audits at every school, supported by transparent reporting and strict accountability mechanisms. In addition, we would implement a system to rank schools according to risk and urgency, ensuring that maintenance and repairs are prioritised where they are needed most.