Kaya 959 Reporter
The Department of Basic Education estimates that repairing schools destroyed by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal will cost R442 million.
This comes as Angie Motshekga, the Minister of Basic Education, and KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu assessed the damage at many schools around the province.
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Point of View with Phemelo Motene spoke to Elijah Mhlanga – Basic Education Spokesperson about the current state of schools in the region and how the department is planning on intervening.
LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION HERE:
Mhlanga says that this is only a preliminary assessment of the cost to repair the damages and only accounts for infrastructure and that there are many expenses to factor in.
“That is a much bigger problem, with the two schools that were our last visit today we saw that infrastructure is fine, but they have lost everything inside those buildings. “
“You check inside the computer and science lab they have lost all the equipment, expensive equipment, they showed us one piece of equipment which cost over R80 000, and when you look at the damage, you see the water went above the roof of the school and left debris there.”
“It’s too much to imagine when you look at what it will be when all the assessment is done,” says Mhlanga.
The floods impacted 630 schools, according to the Department of Basic Education. 124 of them were severely damaged.
At least 320 000 students were affected, 57 students perished, and five students went missing.
The floodwaters also claimed the lives of a teacher and a food handler.
