By Charmaine Ndlela
A works inspector has been dispatched to Reiger Park Secondary School in Boksburg to assess concerns over inadequate ablution facilities and access to drinking water, as pressure mounts over the conditions faced by more than 2,000 learners.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, confirmed that the department is investigating the state of the school’s water and sanitation infrastructure following concerns raised about conditions at the school.
The department said a works inspector has been sent to assess the ablution facilities and water infrastructure, with the findings expected to determine the intervention required.
ALSO READ: R19m cellphone repair programme puts 25 entrepreneurs in business in Sebokeng
The move comes after reports highlighted severe infrastructure challenges at the school, where learners said only a handful of functioning toilets were available.
The school has also reportedly experienced problems with access to drinking water, with learners allegedly turning to fire hydrants to access water.
eNCA reported that learners complained of limited access to drinking water and that only a few toilets were functioning for boys and girls. In a subsequent report, an unidentified source told the broadcaster that the only running taps were in the staff room and that learners could not access them.
The source also said learners sometimes had to wait for extended periods to use the functioning toilets, with the situation reportedly worse during break times.
However, School Governing Body chairperson Charona Louw disputed suggestions that the problems had gone unattended, telling eNCA that the school had repeatedly repaired damaged facilities.
“We have been fixing the taps almost every month,” Louw said.
“Things are being broken by the same learners vandalising the taps and toilets,” she added.
Louw also disputed learners’ claims that the problems had persisted for three months and said the matter had been escalated to the GDE’s district office.
Maile said the department was taking the concerns seriously and would determine whether the issues could be addressed through routine maintenance at school level or required further intervention from the department.
ALSO READ: Dangerous weapons, drugs confiscated in Westbury
“Every learner has a right to learn in a safe, dignified and conducive environment. Functional sanitation and access to water are fundamental requirements in our schools, and concerns relating to these facilities must receive the necessary attention,” he said.
The MEC’s response comes despite the department having undertaken significant maintenance and repair work at the school in May 2025.
According to the department, Head Office Infrastructure completed major maintenance aimed at restoring infrastructure that had been vandalised.
The work included repairs to ablution facilities, the replacement of sanitary components and sewer pipes, and repairs to drinking-water fountains.
The department also replaced or repaired windows, doors, flooring and ceilings, while classrooms received maintenance to doors, windows, ceilings and floor coverings.
Roof repairs were undertaken, new security gates were installed and the school’s perimeter fence was replaced.
The latest assessment will therefore seek to establish the current condition of the infrastructure, the extent of any subsequent damage and whether further work is required.
The department said schools receive funding under the National Norms and Standards for School Funding from which provision can be made for maintenance of buildings, grounds and equipment. The precise maintenance responsibilities of individual schools can also depend on the functions allocated to their governing bodies under the South African Schools Act.
“In line with the National Norms and Standards for School Funding, schools receive funding from which provision is made for the maintenance of school buildings, grounds and equipment,” the department said in a statement.
The MEC also raised concerns about the impact of vandalism on school infrastructure, warning that damage to facilities places additional pressure on already limited resources.
“We must also protect the infrastructure provided to our schools. Vandalism places additional pressure on resources that should be used to improve teaching and learning. School communities must work with us to safeguard public infrastructure for the benefit of learners,” Maile said.
