Parents fear for their children's safety as snakes frequently emerge from flooring holes at Mahlolwaneng Primary School in Limpopo.
Image: Supplied
Parents of children attending Mahlolwaneng Primary School in Ga-Masemola, Limpopo, have sleepless nights worrying that snakes might bite their children due to the school’s dilapidated state, plagued with snake-infested flooring holes, broken windows and a missing roof.
Last week on Friday, teachers at the school killed a snake that emerged from a hole in one of the classrooms.
Frequent appearances of snakes from flooring with holes inside the classrooms have been a major concern for parents, who fear for their children’s lives.
The school, which residents say is old and in a deplorable state, has two blocks that are in urgent need of repair.
Frustrated parents told IOL News that three of the classrooms in one block are without roofs, have broken windows, missing doors, and floors with holes, with learners still being taught in those classrooms.
The floor of a classroom at Mahlolwaneng Primary School in Limpopo has holes from which snakes are emerging.
Image: Supplied
Renny Leshilo, whose child is a Grade 2 learner at the school, said the school has been in this condition for over 10 years.
“There are no glasses on the windows, the roof is rotting and could fall anytime, and the roof was damaged by heavy storms years ago,” Leshilo told IOL News.
“This school has been like this for the past 11 years.”
Leshilo said she constantly prays for her child’s safe return due to the dangerous conditions at the school.
“We are always extremely scared that we might hear that the roof has fallen on our children.”
She added that learners attended classes under harsh conditions during rainy weather, with some classrooms leaking.
“During winter, it's very bad because there’s no roof, and the broken windows expose children to the cold,” she said.
Though no injuries or fatalities have been reported in recent years, Leshilo expressed concern about the flooring with holes inside the classrooms, which are often infested with snakes.
“Last week on Friday, a snake was killed in one of the classrooms emerging from a hole. The hole was patched with cement, but there are a lot of snakes there, and we are scared that they might harm our children,” Leshilo said.
Another concern is that learners are often forced to share classrooms due to bad weather conditions, which affects teaching and learning.
“Grade 2 and Grade 3 learners are often combined, due to bad weather conditions, especially when it rains. This causes confusion among the learners and affects their learning,” she said.
Three classrooms at Mahlolwaneng Primary School are in urgent need of repair, including missing roof sheets and broken windows.
Image: Supplied
Ditiro Marungwane Masemola, another concerned parent, echoed Leshilo’s worries about the school’s unsafe conditions.
“It's not safe at all. Learners can't concentrate because they are all focused on what might happen if the roof comes off. Anything can enter inside the classrooms,” she said.
The parents said they would appreciate it if the provincial Department of Education intervenes in the matter, as they fear for the safety of their children.
A teacher at the school, who requested anonymity confirmed the school’s poor state, stating that three classrooms are in urgent need of repair.
“The three damaged classrooms have no roof, no doors, holes in the floor and broken window glasses,” the educator told IOL News.
The teacher confirmed that the school has 160 learners, with learners from Grade R though Grade 7, with Grades R having two classes, Grade 2 combined with Grade 3, Grade 4 paired with Grade 5, Grade 6 and Grade 7 sharing a class.
The educator said the school has currently enrolled 160 learners, making up all the grades in the school.
In 2022, provincial Department of Basic Education officials visited the school, conducted an inspection, and promised to intervene, but failed to fulfill their promises.
“They said they would build new classrooms in December 2022, but they never came back again or provided any updates.”
The teacher also confirmed that a snake was killed last week, in the class shared by Grade 6 and Grade 7 learners.
“We’re always killing snakes here. We are not safe at all. Last year in December we killed snakes that were on the walks.”
The teacher, along with the parents, called on the department to take action and provide mobile classes as a temporary solution.
The Limpopo Department of Education has yet to address the inquiries from IOL News.
IOL News