By Lungile Ntimba
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality has called on the Free State education department to account for the worsening state of school infrastructure in Qwaqwa, citing alarming conditions observed during an oversight visit.
DA councillor Paseka Mokoena said the party visited Boitsebelo Junior Technical School, which was shut down in June 2023 with the intention of converting it into a special needs school.
However, he said no visible progress has been made on the project and the facility had since become a target for vandalism and unlawful occupation.
“We witnessed firsthand the deterioration of buildings that could still serve the community meaningfully,” Mokoena said in a statement on Monday.
“This is not an isolated case; many schools across the Qwaqwa area have suffered a similar fate, abandoned and stripped.”
In Matsieng village, Mokoena said one school had been destroyed to such an extent that there was no visible evidence it had ever existed.
He said Makabelane Technical High School was another example of neglect.
The school still hosted camps for Grade 12 learners, but its adjacent hostel remained vandalised and partially occupied by unknown individuals and companies.
Following the oversight visit, Mokoena said the DA had submitted formal questions through its representatives in the Free State legislature, demanding clarity on the status and future of the affected schools.
The party is seeking answers on why the hostel at Makabelane Technical High School has not been rehabilitated, how many schools in Qwaqwa have been shut down due to neglect, whether these properties have been returned to the provincial department of infrastructure, and what plans exist to restore or repurpose the abandoned buildings.
“We believe that infrastructure, such as Boitsebelo, can be best transformed into a skills development centre, offering alternative education and vocational training for young people who struggle with formal schooling,” Mokoena added.
He said such a facility could provide accredited programmes to empower youth and contribute to addressing the high unemployment and poverty rates in the area.
Sibusiso Majola, who is the spokesperson for education MEC Mantlhake Julia Maboya, told Inside Education that Maboya has not yet received the formal questions from the DA.
INSIDE EDUCATION
