More than 100 pupils from Uitzig High School cheered and celebrated outside the Western Cape High Court yesterday after the court had ordered that the school should remain open, pending a final order on March 16.
The ruling comes more than a month after Education MEC Debbie Schafer ordered that pupils from the school be moved to the nearby Ravensmead High school because their school had been vandalised so badly that teaching and learning could not continue there.
The pupils had been taught in the vandalised classrooms without water, ablution facilities and electricity.
Cosatu’s provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said the court’s decision yesterday meant the community of Uitzig “won the first round against the racist practices of Schafer”.
The court ruled that the department must not move pupils and educators from the school.
The relief appeal regarding water, electricity and security in Uitsig will be dealt with on March 16, when the court is expected to make a final order.
“This is a great victory for the community and they will continue their campaign to repair the school,” Ehrenreich said. “There is however an appeal to Schafer to stop sabotaging the school feeding scheme and to do the ethical thing by ensuring that the norms and standards of schools are applied in Uitsig.
“It is delinquent of the WCED to have learners at a school in terms of an order that they agree to and then not to provide them with the basic human rights in respect of education,” said Ehrenreich.
A pupil at the school, Sean Joseph, 15, who attended court proceedings, said it warmed his heart that “the department’s decision has been reversed”.
“We need our teachers back and the many learners that stayed at home will now come back. We are happy the court saw the importance of not closing down a school,” said Joseph.
Provincial education department director of communications Paddy Attwell said between today and the next court hearing the department “undertook not to move learners and staff”.
The parties agreed to postpone the matter to March 16 when they will argue the application before the Court.