BRAAMFISCHERVILLE, SOWETO — Parents in Soweto have taken decisive action by closing Khulanolwazi Primary School in Braamfischerville, launching a sustained protest over what they describe as severe poor conditions and a critical lack of basic sanitation. For the past three weeks, the community has kept learners at home, demanding immediate intervention from the Gauteng Department of Education to replace dilapidated temporary structures with a safe, permanent learning environment.
The school, which was established in 2010, has operated out of temporary mobile container structures for 16 years. Parents report that the facility currently accommodates approximately 800 learners but is equipped with only 10 toilets. These facilities are reportedly shared by both boys and girls, frequently leaking, and suffering from bursting pipes on a weekly basis, creating what parents describe as a traumatic, infested, and prison-like environment.
Further compounding the health and safety concerns, the school lacks a functional kitchen or cafeteria, forcing staff to hand out meals to children through broken windows. The overall infrastructure is described as entirely dilapidated, featuring broken taps, uncollected waste, and severe sanitation failures. The conditions are reportedly so dire that during recent voter registration drives, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials refused to use the school’s bathrooms, opting instead to use buckets in classrooms.
Community members allege that they have been pleading for help since 2022, when the education department allegedly promised the construction of a permanent “brick and mortar” facility. However, these commitments have failed to materialize. Adding to the frustration, parents have been informed that the school operates on private land, a factor the department has cited as a bureaucratic obstacle to fulfilling its infrastructure promises.
In response to the growing unrest, the Gauteng MEC for Education, Lebogang Maile, recently addressed the situation. While initially stating he was unaware of the school’s specific plight, the MEC promised that investigations would be launched. However, he also issued a stern warning, threatening legal action and potential arrest against parents who take the law into their own hands by closing the school. The MEC emphasized that only the department has the authority to make such determinations, particularly concerning learners of compulsory school-going age, and pointed to broader provincial budget constraints as an ongoing challenge for school construction projects.
Despite the threat of legal repercussions, parents remain resolute in their stance. They argue that their actions are a necessary last resort to protect their children from ongoing health risks and trauma. Community leaders insist that repeated emails and pleas to the MEC’s office have gone unanswered, leaving them with no choice but to disrupt the school term. The parents maintain that the fundamental right to a safe, hygienic, and conducive education outweighs the temporary disruption, demanding that officials provide concrete answers and immediate repairs rather than empty promises.
