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With the scent of fresh paint lingering in the air, Heathfield Primary School learners moved back into their school building after a 12-month rebuild project that saw the renovation of classrooms, an admin block and brand-new toilets.
School principal Branmal Swartz says the project, which reportedly cost the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) R44 million, was necessary to remove asbestos, originally used to build the school 53 years ago.
“To fast track the rebuilding of schools that [are] built from inappropriate material, the department is doing the refurbishing of schools.
“So, in January last year, we moved from our current building to the container classrooms and have been there for a year.”
Prior to the rebuild, cracks started showing in the floors and pathways at the school.
“What we found is that the floors and landing started cracking in certain classrooms. We had to lift tiles and children moved their chairs, chairs broke and kids got hurt,” he says.
“Years ago, one of our support staff broke her ankle outside because the pathway was falling in with holes.”
Swartz shares that it became hazardous after asbestos, which is dangerous, was exposed.
“There were smart windows removed from the school and some people asked whether they could keep it, but because it was contaminated with asbestos they were told no,” he tells People’s Post.
“That is what our kids had to sit in for years.
“We had to fight for the school to be refurbished and I escalated the issue during the last five years that I’ve been here.”
The rebuilding project included the roof and downpipes at the school, he adds.
“The underground sewerage systems started going and at some stage, we had massive spills, to the extent that money was spent to replace that again.”
Reflecting on the history of the school, Swartz says it was established as a direct result of the apartheid government’s Group Areas Act when, at the time, learners and teachers were evicted from Diep River Central Primary in Steurhof.
“Heathfield Primary is around 53 years old and was started in 1971,” he recalls.
“With the Group Areas Act in the late 60s and 70s, the learners were evicted and the school shut down because it was declared a whites only area.”
In 1971, the school was opened at its current location and named Punts Plaas Primêr.
“This was a farm area and belonged to the Punts family and apparently, there are still remnants of the family in the area today.”
Because Swartz grew up in the area, he wanted to return to the school. At the age of four, his family was forcibly moved to Lavender Hill. “As a family, we lived in Steurhof and when the school was closed, we were also evicted and moved to Lavender Hill, so my family was one of the first families when Lavender Hill was just a sandy patch to move to.”
Later in 1994, “people had choices”, so residents sent their children to schools “across the railway line” to former Model C schools. “At some stage, with that happening and the local community not sending their kids to the school anymore and to prevent the school from shutting down, the school opened its doors to learners from afar.”
Currently, learners from Gugulethu, Langa, Philippi, Mitchells Plain, Hillview, Seawinds, Steenberg, Retreat, Muizenberg and Plumstead attend the school.
“Generally, our school is quite diverse with altogether 616 learners from Grade R to Grade 7,” says Swartz. “We also have a large population of foreign nationals such as Zimbabweans and Congolese, Malawians and Angolan kids.”
