Share

Roodepoort task team finalises report on school

Johannesburg - An independent mediation task team has completed its report into the troubled Roodepoort Primary School, the Gauteng education department said on Monday.

"The mediation team has finalised and submitted its report with recommendations. These should be effected by Friday," education spokesperson Phumla Sekhonyane said.

The school, which has been mired in allegations of corruption and racism, was temporarily closed just over two weeks ago.

It was also the site of several violent clashes between residents and the police.

In the interim, some pupils were moved to Lufhereng Primary School in Soweto.

It was unclear on Monday afternoon whether the school would be reopened this week.

The mediation team was appointed to find solutions to problems at the school and heard submissions from various relevant organisations and residents.

Parents and residents of Davidsonville, where the school is, claimed the appointment of the principal and her two deputies was irregular and two reports, one clearing their appointments and another by auditing firm KPMG clearing them of financial mismanagement, were incorrect.

Earlier on Monday, Davidsonville Community Forum members threatened to forcibly re-open the school and gave some of the pupils gathered outside in their purple uniforms a bolt cutter to cut the chain on the gate, before taking away the tool.

'Built by the community'

The forum's spokesperson Ronald Dyers later said pupils who had not gone to that school in Soweto would be taken on Monday to nearby "church buildings" for "intermediary education".

"We hope we can get a possible solution to the problem. If [Roodepoort Primary] is not open tomorrow [Tuesday], we will decide on the next step," he said.

"This school was built by the community and it is basically unfair of [the] government, the premier and the MEC to close this school unilaterally without consulting the community."

He said the community was still committed to working with a mediation task team appointed by the Gauteng department of education to find solutions.

"We will be meeting a delegation from the local [ANC] as well as a delegation from the neighbouring community [on Monday]," he said.

"We hope in these endeavours we can find a solution to present to the mediation team."

Residents and parents have repeatedly denied claims they were racist for wanting the principal, who is black, to vacate her position.

The mediation team included Reverend Gift Moerane from the South African Council of Churches, Bishop Paul Verryn, United Nation Childred's Rights and Emergency Relief Organisation (Unicef) goodwill ambassador and singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, former director general of the Presidency Reverend Frank Chikane and representatives from the office of the public protector and from the Ahmed Kathrada foundation.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do airplane mishaps have any effect on which airline you book your flights with?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, these things happen. I pick based on price
48% - 1119 votes
Yes, my safety matters. I don't take any chances
52% - 1197 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.15
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.93
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.54
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.48
+0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.5%
Platinum
917.20
+0.6%
Palladium
1,015.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,320.87
+0.2%
Silver
27.24
+0.3%
Brent Crude
88.02
-0.5%
Top 40
68,574
0.0%
All Share
74,514
0.0%
Resource 10
60,444
0.0%
Industrial 25
104,013
0.0%
Financial 15
15,837
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE