Pretoria – The Gauteng Department of Education is busy working on the faulty generators and leaking water tanks at Goza Primary School in Freedom Park, Soweto.
“The department apologises for the irregular supply of water and electricity at the school. We view this in a serious light as it affects teaching and learning but appeal for patience as we are addressing the problem,” said the provincial government.
The department said the school was not yet connected to the municipal electricity grid and water supply due to historical reasons.
“It must be noted that the school is a mobile structure due to lack of educational site/land in Freedom Park. Hence, Goza Primary was accommodated on the same site as Somelilwazi Primary School pending subdivision of the two pieces of land by the Department of Human Settlements.”
The department can confirm that in the last week there was intermittent water and electricity supply.
The department this year installed a 50kVa 3 phase generator to supply electricity to the school. Three water tanks with a combined capacity of 25 000 litres have been also been installed at the schools.
“The tanks are being replenished on a daily basis. We have established that water gets depleted before the end of the school day and we are investing the cause. We suspect there is a leak in the pipes and a plumber will be on site to investigate and fix the problem,” said the department.
The department has also established that the generator is faulty and experiencing mechanical breakdown.
It said an electrician has been deployed to determine the cause and fix the generator, and in an event it cannot be fixed, the department will replace the generator.
In the long run, the department said, the solution is for the two pieces of land to be subdivided.
“To that end, we are engaging the Department of Human Settlements to subdivide the stands currently occupied by Goza Primary and Somelilwazi Primary School. This will facilitate connection of the school to the municipal bulk infrastructure,” said the department. - SAnews.gov.za
