North West schools suffer another infrastructure blow
MAHIKENG — More than 20 schools across North West have been damaged by destructive winds, adding another infrastructure emergency to a provincial education system already dealing with the loss of three schools to recent fires.
The damage occurred between 4 and 5 September, with roofs ripped from buildings and mobile classrooms destroyed across all four education districts in the province. The North West Department of Education said infrastructure teams are being dispatched to determine the extent of the damage and what temporary measures will be needed to prevent interruptions to teaching.
The timing is particularly difficult for the department. It was already responding to infrastructure losses caused by fires at three schools when the latest weather damage created another group of facilities requiring urgent intervention. The department has not yet disclosed the estimated cost of the wind damage, how many classrooms are unusable or how many learners have been directly affected.
The scale of the incident appears broader than the department’s description of “more than 20 schools” initially suggests. Its own list names at least 26 affected schools and education facilities across Ngaka Modiri Molema, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Bojanala and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati districts.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda District appears to have suffered the widest spread of damage, with schools affected in Ikageng, Wolmaransstad, Orkney, Jouberton, Ventersdorp, Klerksdorp, Potchefstroom and Tigane. These include Pudulogo Primary School, Maitemogelo Secondary School, Noordwal Primary School, Tshedimosetso Secondary School, Toevlug Primary School, Sentlhaga Primary School, Laerskool Saamtrek, Promosa Primary and Secondary School, Boitshoko Secondary School, Gatelapele Secondary School and Tigane Primary School.
In Ngaka Modiri Molema District, the department identified Thuto ke Matla Secondary School in Groot Marico, Setilo Secondary School in Mareetsane village, Refentse Primary School and Serite Early Learning Centre in Ga-Khunwana village.
Four schools were listed in Bojanala District: SG Ntuane Primary School in Tlhatlhaganyane village, Rantlaka Primary School in Phalane village, Nonceba Primary School in Welverdiend and Motshabaesi Primary School in Obakeng village.
A further six were identified in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District: Kokomeng Primary School in Kokomeng village, Walter Letsie Secondary School in Manthe, Raditshipi Primary School, Thapama Secondary School, Choseng Secondary School and Reabetswe Secondary School.
The immediate concern is whether damaged classrooms can be made safe quickly enough to keep learners in school. Roof damage can render otherwise usable classrooms unsafe, while the destruction of mobile classrooms removes facilities that are often already being used to compensate for shortages or inadequate permanent infrastructure.
North West Education MEC Dr Desbo Mohono said the department’s immediate priority was assessing the damage and protecting learners and educators while finding ways to minimise disruption.
“We are deeply concerned and saddened by the damage caused by these destructive winds,” Mohono said. “Our immediate priority is to assess the extent of the damage, ensure the safety of learners and educators, and put measures in place to minimise disruptions to teaching and learning.”
Mohono said the department was working with disaster management teams and other stakeholders to get interventions to affected schools as quickly as possible.
“We understand the impact this situation has on our school communities, and we will continue doing everything within our means to support the affected schools,” she said.
The infrastructure assessments will now be crucial in establishing the true scale of the problem. Beyond identifying damaged roofs and classrooms, officials will need to determine which buildings can safely remain occupied, whether temporary classrooms are required and how much emergency repair work can be completed without disrupting the school calendar.
The department has not yet indicated how much money will be required for repairs or whether its existing infrastructure budget can absorb the latest damage alongside the cost of responding to the three schools affected by fires. Those figures will determine whether the weekend’s destructive winds amount to a temporary disruption or a significantly larger setback for North West’s school infrastructure programme.
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