Three years behind schedule, millions of rands and several failed contractors later, a R40m upgrade at Lakeside Primary School in Boksburg, Gauteng, remains incomplete, leaving pupils to study in crumbling classrooms.
The project — launched in 2021 and due for completion by December 2022 — stalled after contractors abandoned the site, saying there was intimidation by local business forums and poor management. Today, the school is 75% complete, leaving pupils exposed to serious hazards.
The problems were difficult to miss during a visit to the school this week. From the outside, Lakeside Primary appears to be a modern school, freshly painted and well maintained, but inside it's a starkly different picture.
The ceiling above the entrance to the administration block has collapsed. The main gate, long overdue for replacement, remains a safety hazard; at one point, it became so unstable that it nearly toppled, prompting the school to pay to secure it. Tanks meant to provide clean water hold stale, rotten liquid because the installation was never completed. A water fountain for pupils has no taps and has never worked.
In the classrooms tiles have fallen off the walls, cupboards are collapsing and several sinks in the foundation phase classrooms are not connected to the water system. In one block, gas pipes stick out of the floor where a science lab was planned. Leaking roofs have left ceilings covered in mould. Cheap green boards installed in place of proper chalkboards are so slippery that teachers cannot write on them.
Toilets are a daily problem. Contractors removed ceramic toilets and replaced them with steel units, several of which are loose and leak when flushed.
“Last year, a grade 2 learner actually broke his head open because of the wet floor and tiles not being laid properly. He had to be rushed to the hospital for a skin graft,” said school governing body (SGB) vice-chair Marisa Minne.
The electrics are no better. There are open distribution boards, damaged switchboards and hanging wires.
“Our distribution boards are open; children stand the risk of being electrocuted,” said Minnie. Teachers said they often have to call in outside contractors to patch up faults.
The sports grounds are also incomplete. Instead of three planned combi courts, only one was built, and it has an uneven surface. Seating areas were left unfinished, and damaged fences had to be repaired with wire by the school.
“During heavy rains, water floods several classrooms and walkways,” said one foundation phase teacher.
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“We feel left in the dark. We are a no-fee paying school and don’t have the resources to fix these things ourselves,” said teacher and SGB secretary Shannon Schutte. “We have to improvise just to keep learners safe.”
Parents are angry. “The feeling is that if this was a white school it would have been sorted out long ago,” said Minnie. “Why should we deprive our children because of people's incompetence?”
Outstanding work includes:
- Electrical and electronic work;
- The construction of two new combi courts;
- The repair of stormwater problems;
- The replacement of defective chalkboards;
- Covering exposed gas pipes
- The installation of a new plinth under basins in pupils' toilets; and
- The repair of numerous defects and snags in classrooms.
Gauteng’s department of infrastructure development confirmed the project had collapsed after contractors pulled out.
The main contractor, Mrazane JV The Hope Mandate, was paid R36.3m but failed to complete the work, claiming threats and intimidation from local business forums. The department said the contractor did not formally report the threats to the police. The contract was terminated in January last year.
A second contractor, House of Nnyane (Pty) Ltd, was appointed in June last year, but also withdrew after armed members of a local business forum disrupted work. That contract is also being terminated.
The department said remedial measures were being taken, including the possibility of blacklisting contractors who failed to deliver. A new contractor is expected to be appointed at the end of September, with construction expected to take four months.
“The department of infrastructure development remains committed to ensuring the successful completion of the project and will continue to implement all necessary measures to safeguard progress and protect the interests of the learners and the community,” the department said.
At the school, parents and staff remain sceptical. Schutte said communication with the department had been minimal: “We feel left in the dark.”
Minnie said the toll on teachers has been severe. “Teachers come to school not to prepare lessons but also to think of ways to keep learners safe. A happy teacher makes a happy learner, but right now teachers are drained.”
For the children of Lakeside Primary the promise of a safe, upgraded school remains, for now, out of reach.
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