By Johnathan Paoli
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Metsimaholo Local Municipality has escalated its long-standing concerns over deteriorating school infrastructure, calling on Free State Premier McQueen Letsoha-Mathae to urgently intervene as delays, safety risks and unfinished projects continue to plague local schools.
The latest appeal, issued by DA councillor Stone Makhema on Sunday, follows an oversight visit with DA National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Member of Parliament (MP) Igor Scheurkogel.
The delegation found that critical projects at HM Mthombeni High School in Amelia and Taaibos Primary School in Kragbron remain incomplete despite multiple promises and revised deadlines from the Free State Department of Education.
Construction of Mthombeni school began in 2019 with an initial completion date of 2022.
Yet, more than three years past that deadline, the school remains a construction site.
Twenty of its twenty-eight classrooms still lack electricity, meaning learners often sit in darkness on cloudy or rainy days.
Makhema painted a grim picture of the conditions.
One classroom, he noted, has been converted into a makeshift kitchen where food is prepared with gas stoves—without fire extinguishers or any safety measures in place.
Doors of poor quality require constant replacement, barricades obstruct movement, V-drains stand unfinished, and the school hall has been left half-built since last year.
“Only a handful of contract workers can be seen on site. This clearly shows a lack of urgency from the department,” Makhema said.
The DA argues that learners and educators have been forced to study and teach in unsafe, disruptive conditions that undermine education.
Despite the department’s claim that the project is over 90% complete, the DA says the reality on the ground shows otherwise.
Taaibos Primary School has faced a similar fate.
Refurbishments started in February 2024 with the promise of completion by January 2025.
That deadline was missed, followed by another in the second term of 2025. Oversight visits revealed rubble scattered around the school, half-finished facilities and construction workers often absent from the site.
Children are reportedly still being served meals outside in open spaces because the school kitchen remains unfinished.
The electricity connection is incomplete, and much of the schoolyard requires paving.
According to documents seen by Inside Education, the Department of Education has attributed the delays to “cashflow issues” faced by the main contractor, sequencing problems caused by construction during school hours, and disputes between contractors.
Although a revised completion date of July 2025 was issued, Makhema now says even the latest target dates of September and October appear “an impossible mission”.
“The Free State Department of Education has continuously shifted blame to the Department of Public Works. Meanwhile, our children suffer in hazardous learning environments,” Makhema stressed.
The DA has repeatedly requested joint oversight inspections with the department, but says its calls have been ignored.
Instead, completion dates are moved forward year after year without tangible progress.
“Contractor disputes, non-payment and endless extensions cannot continue to be the excuse. The safety and education of learners must come first,” Scheurkogel said.
The opposition is now demanding Premier Letsoha-Mathae’s direct intervention, arguing that the education department under MEC Mantlhake Julia Maboya has failed to deliver on its promises.
In April, DA MPL Dulandi Leech posed a series of questions in the Free State Legislature regarding the HM Mthombeni project.
The department confirmed that R87.6 million had been allocated, of which over R65 million had been spent by March 2025.
It also revealed that the original joint venture contractor had collapsed due to internal disputes, forcing the appointment of a new service provider, Elebone Multipurpose, with a revised completion date of May 2025.
Despite these assurances, the site remains incomplete months later, intensifying frustration among parents, learners and opposition parties alike.
MEC Maboya has recently launched initiatives such as the 150 Primary Schools that Work programme, promising to strengthen school functionality and performance across the province.
However, the DA argues that such flagship projects ring hollow when basic infrastructure remains unfinished in Metsimaholo.
“Investing in primary education is imperative,” Maboya said at the launch, where she handed over 30,000 digital devices and 367 library trolleys.
Yet, according to Makhema, “No number of tablets can make up for the fact that learners in Metsimaholo are studying in unsafe and incomplete classrooms.”
The DA insists that only the Premier’s office can break the deadlock.
“Premier Letsoha-Mathae must step in and hold the responsible departments accountable. Our learners cannot continue to pay the price for administrative failures,” Makhema urged.
The opposition has pledged to continue monitoring the situation and to push for urgent intervention until the schools are safe and fully functional.
Inside Education reached out to the Free State Department of Education for comment on the state of the schools, with no response being received by the time of publication.
INSIDE EDUCATION
