Durban - The government has kept its promise to build a bridge for the long-suffering children of Ekhamanzi Primary School in Umshwathi, outside Greytown.
For a very long time, pupils and community members have had to risk their lives when negotiating a river to get to school or access government services.
Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille, who officially opened the bridge yesterday, was accompanied by the provincial MEC for Transport, Peggy Nkonyeni.
The bridge, one of three opened in the area yesterday, was built by the SANDF under the Welisizwe Bridges Programme.
The Mercury previously reported on the plight of the children who had to undress and wade through the river just to get to school.
Following the report, an announcement was made that some of the pupils would be relocated to other schools, where they did not have to cross the river. The Department of Transport also revealed last year that it needed to build more than 400 bridges to connect communities with schools.
De Lille said that for many years, children, mothers and fathers had had to cross dangerous rivers to access basic and important social amenities such as schools, clinics, government offices, and even to get to work.
“It has always been the most heartbreaking thing to me when we hear on the news of young children who drown while crossing a river to get to school.
“Early last year, I saw such a sad photo of a young boy crossing a river here in this area, and it touched me so deeply when I saw the scared look on the boy’s face as he crossed the river without any shoes or trousers.
“Seeing this picture of this young boy just broke my heart and I told officials that we simply must get this project to KwaZulu-Natal. There is no justification or excuse for children still having to fight their way through water, risking their lives just to get to school. There can be no excuse that 27 years into our democracy we cannot build bridges for our children and our communities,” she said.
Department of Transport spokesperson Kwanele Ncalane said they were prioritising building bridges that would give access and connect pupils with schools.
Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the department was very grateful for the bridge, saying it would help facilitate easy access to education for rural pupils.
The Mercury