Fed-up parents of Emasangweni primary school learners shut down thee school on Friday.
The parents barricaded the school gates two days before the holidays began and turned away learners to protest against nearby land invaders that were stealing their water.
They claimed it was of no use for their children to attend school while the whole area of Phase 4 in Mamelodi East had no running water.
Parent, James Tshabalala said the Tshwane metro and Department of Education needed to address the water problems as soon as possible.
“We have been experiencing water shortages for the past two years and nothing concrete has been done to deal with the matter.
“Our children go to school dirty and the school toilets are not flushing,” said Tshabalala.
“Our children’s health is at risk.”
Tshabalala believes that the illegal connections to the reservoir’s water pipes are the main reason for the persistent outages.
“Now our schoolchildren are forced to carry at least two water bottles to school every day for hydration while teachers who have cars ferry water buckets to school,” he said.
“The Tshwane metro is failing to resolve the matter,” he said.
Another parent to a Grade 6 and R learner, Portia Mphuti said the situation was getting out of hand.
She said recently a child fainted because of dehydration.
She added a family near the school lost a loved one, and they desperately needed water for the funeral.
“The water tanker drivers on the other hand want us to pay R300 to deliver water which is supposed to be free for everyone,” said Mphuti.
And we can’t have one tanker deliver water to the school. What about the whole community of Phase 4?
“We are unable to wash, bathe and cook,” said Mphuti.
Mike Motseletsele, a pensioner, blamed the metro for failing to remove illegal water connections at the reservoir.
“But they expect us to pay for service delivery?
“We are sending our children to school while we go to work. And when our children are sent back home because there is no water, who is going to look after them?” he said.
He said life without water is very difficult.
“Where can our children go when they need to use the bathroom?”
He claimed some of the learners have already started using nearby bushes because the toilets are not functional.
“Everyone is suffering. Both learners and the community,” he said.
The Department of Education and Tshwane metro had yet to comment at the time of publicaiton.
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