Residents placarded on Monday October 10, due to no public participation of the approved high school that the provincial government approved to build on ERF 126.
The Colorado Park Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association has formally objected to the construction of a new high school on the grounds of Washington Drive Primary School grounds.
However, the contract for the new high school on erf 126, has already been awarded and the school, which will accommodate 400 pupils, is set to open next year.
After residents consulted the CRRA to help raise their concerns, the association requested a meeting with the local and Western Cape governments to address the community and also to note their objection to the new high school in Colorado Park due to the lack of public participation, (“Upset over lack of consultation about ‘pop-up’ high school in Colorado Park”, Plainsman, August 23).
“We’ve reached out to the mayor, the premier and the MEC’s office so that we can talk about this and raise our concerns, said Natalie Bent, CRRA member, adding that they had yet to receive a response.
WCED spokeswoman Bronagh Hammond said the school will initially comprise 10 mobile classrooms and other auxiliary facilities.
Of the 400 pupils it plans to accommodate, 200 of them will be Grade 8s and 200 Grade 9s. The first pupils are scheduled to be enrolled for the 2023 academic year. Planning for the permanent high school will start in the 2023/24 financial year.
Due to high demand for places in the area, the Western Cape Education Department issued an instruction to the Department of Transport and Public Works to construct a temporary school in Weltevreden, Mitchell’s Plain.
The land is already zoned for education, and although a stakeholder consultation was not required, one was held on Thursday August 11, said Ms Hammond.
Residents held a placard demonstration on Monday October 10.
“CRRA proposed that the high school be built on the land on the corner of Highlands Drive Road and Eisleben Road, for Mitchell’s Plain children that are on the waiting list of the education department,” said Ms Bent.
Parents are concerned that some of their children are not placed at school yet, she said.
CRRA created a WhatsApp group to enquire about parents who’ve applied and are still awaiting responses. Parents have to place children outside Mitchell’s Plain because there are no vacancies at schools in their areas, said Ms Bent.
There are many parents who cannot afford to pay for transport, she added.
Mogammed Ismael, president of the United Democratic Front said there had been no public participation process and that “the voice of the people has been ignored at the meeting on Thursday September 15”.
He added: “These issues were raised at Rocklands civic centre. On Wednesday October 12 the UDF were summoned by the people at the school where contractors have started and no public participation was done.
“The concerns of the people are real and totally justifiable. We are inviting the mayor together with all interested stakeholders with an urgent town hall meeting with Mitchell’s Plain. We would like the meeting to take place on Wednesday October 26, at Rocklands civic centre,” he said.
Ms Hammond said the WCED was aware of calls for additional high schools in Mitchell’s Plain.
“The growing needs of the community are currently being addressed and the new high school will alleviate some of the pressures the community faces. While the land has always been available to us, other budgetary constraints and pressures have not allowed us to fulfil this need. Due to an increased infrastructure budget, the WCED is now able to address the calls for a new high school,” she said.
As with all schools in the province, any pupil can apply. “However, we have identified the need for a school in the area to serve the growing population of the community, so we anticipate receiving applications from within the community. Parents can contact the Metro South Education Department to apply for placement. They will then be placed on a list which will be considered by the new interim SGB once it is established,” she said.
By the time this story was published, Washington Drive Primary School’s School Governing Body had not responded to our requests for comment.