Officials accused of failing to complete post-fire upgrades as department launches investigation.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has suspended two Infrastructure Unit inspectors over alleged failures to complete urgent repair work at Noordgesig Secondary School in Soweto.
The department took swift action on Wednesday, suspending the officials tasked with overseeing reconstruction efforts after a fire severely damaged the school on June 27, 2024.
Repairs not completed
“The department had allocated funds for urgent repairs and reconstruction work,” the GDE said in a statement.
“However, it is suspected that repairs might have not been completed, and some of the committed upgrades are suspected to have been partially done or not carried out at all.”
According to the department, the suspended inspectors were responsible for monitoring and managing the project.
Their suspension follows concerns raised about the state of the school infrastructure nearly a year after the fire.
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Internal probe launched
The GDE confirmed it has launched an internal investigation to uncover the full facts surrounding the failed repairs.
“We will announce the outcome of said investigation once it has been completed,” the department stated.
Last year, the fire disrupted learning and raised urgent safety concerns among the school community. In response, the department committed to a series of upgrades to restore functionality and ensure a safe learning environment.
The GDE said it remains committed to ensuring accountability and restoring the school infrastructure.
“Subsequently, we will announce the outcome of said investigation once it has been completed,” it concluded.
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Fire-damaged schools still need repairs
Furthermore, Education MEC Matome Chiloane, in a written response posed in the legislature, confirmed that 29 schools had been damaged by fire since the 2021-22 financial year.
Of these 29 schools, six have been repaired by the GDE at a cost of R9.3 million, roughly one per year at an average cost of R15 million per project.
However, an additional 10 schools were fixed using funds made available by insurance companies, School Governing Body donations or private sponsors.
13 schools still need repairs and have been handed over to another government department.
“It must be noted that damages were of such a nature that it required extensive work to be done in the affected schools,” stated Chiloane’s response.
“In this regard, the work was referred to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development for implementation,” it explained.
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