Pretoria - Both high schools and primary schools in Mamelodi remain closed with only teachers and members of governing body allowed in. Schools had their gates open from early morning and staff trickled in, donning masks and some with gloves.
A pupil at Mamelodi High School was turned back by officials manning the gate.
The Matric pupil who preferred not to be named said he was eager to get back into the thick of things and start learning.
“I heard that schools will only open next week but I didn’t want to take chances. So I came to see for myself,” he said.
Most of the schools are no strangers to overcrowding. A staff member at the embattled Modiri Technical School said they had to get their PPE’s and were far from being ready.
A pupil from Mamelodi High School is disappointed after being turned back by staff at the gate. Picture: Sakhile Ndlazi
“This was always going to be a disaster, we have been promised protective gear since last week,” she said.
The lack of clarity and consecutive delays associated with Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s back to school plans has left teachers, pupils and parents in a quandary.
The minister was initially due to clarify the school strategy at the eleventh hour on Sunday night but cancelled the media briefing at the last-minute and, instead, issued a statement via the department
This swift turnaround comes after civil societies and organisations, including the South African Human Rights Commission threatened legal action against the Department of Basic Education.
An official from Vlakfontein High School in Mamelodi mans the gate. Video: Sakhile Ndlazi
Motshekga’s opponents argue that sending children back to school, amid the growing wave of coronavirus infections and the looming winter months, would be a public health disaster.
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