Khayelitsha pupils sent home as sewage floods school

As the Western Cape education department prepares for the start of systemic assessments for grades 3 and 6, pupils at Kuyasa Primary School in Khayelitsha are sitting at home after a sewage spill forced the school to suspend classes.

The school has been closed since Friday after sewage water flooded parts of the premises.

When the Sunday Times visited the school on Tuesday, sewage water was flowing freely along several streets leading to the school. At the school , the stench was overpowering, and green stains from wastewater were visible across parts of the grounds.

Two workers from a drainage company were sweeping greenish wastewater away from the pavement outside the Grade 7 classrooms. Several parents were gathered outside the school gate, keeping watch and ensuring that pupils did not enter the premises.

Thandiswa Bonani, deputy chairperson of the school governing body (SGB), said the school initially tried to accommodate Grade 7 pupils in the hall after sewage began overflowing from the school’s drainage system.

“It was more than 230 pupils being taught by different teachers in one hall. We then decided to call a parents’ meeting on Thursday last week, and a decision was taken to suspend classes,” she said.

Bonani said the decision was difficult, particularly because Grade 3 and 6 pupils are preparing for systemic assessment, diagnostic tests used to evaluate learner performance in subjects such as mathematics and languages.

“Our concern was also that several pupils were getting sick and others were developing rashes. We decided that they should go home before we had to deal with bigger health issues,” she said.

Parent Thandiwe Songqwaba, who was among those gathered outside the school, said she has three children attending Kuyasa Primary.

“Our problem is the drainage system inside the school. The outside drain in front of the school gate has also been problematic. What is happening here is a health hazard for our children. All we want is for the school to be rebuilt and for the pipeline system to be changed,” she said.

Another parent, Thozama Mnike, said problems with the school’s drainage system date back to 2019.

“It’s not the first time we are protesting because of something like this. The Western Cape department of education knows about the drain issues. You would expect that at least they send a truck to clean these drains every month to avoid a situation where the drain is spilling all over the school yard,” she said.

Western Cape education department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the department was aware of concerns regarding sewage-related problems at the school.

“It is important to clarify some misinformation that is currently circulating. The school has experienced challenges relating to a sewage leak outside of the school premises, which has resulted in overflow into sections of the school grounds previously. This matter has been raised with and attended to by the City of Cape Town.