About 64 Eastern Cape schoolchildren were left stranded for hours without accommodation in Durban while attending the Winter Championship Games.
The pupils were among 522 athletes from primary and high schools across the province sent by the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (Dsrac) to compete against their counterparts in different sporting codes.
The games started on Saturday and are set to end on Friday this week.
The province sent 37 teams to compete in nine sporting codes.
On arrival, the 64 pupils, who included boys and girls, had to wait for hours before Dsrac officials managed to find alternative accommodation for them at the Coastland Hotel.
The incident angered one of the parents, Suren Packery, who took to a social network on Saturday afternoon.
Packery wrote: “To my fellow spin doctors and Govt Officials, how does one not be frustrated with the failure of provincial structures.
“Selected to represent the province in different sporting codes, we have no real training camps, confusion in planning, and a complete lack of communication.
“Our children have now been subjected to 27 hours in a bus only to arrive and find they have no accommodation in Durban. Now they must go train under those conditions?
“And we question why we struggle to compete! Surely there are forums to initiate an inquest? How do we do this?”
Dsrac provincial spokesman Andile Nduna disputed that the pupils were subjected to 27 hours in a bus, but admitted delays had been experienced on the road to Durban.
These included delays when athletes from Sarah Baartman district did not arrive on time and when a truck jackknifed on the road between Mount Ayliff and Mount Frere.
Nduna said the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) did not inform the department on time that residences booked for the group were still being occupied by postgraduates, who had not left for their holiday.
Other athletes stayed in UKZN residences.
“The earnest preparations for these games by the department and the department of education, started in April, wherein three blocks were allocated at UKZN,” he said.
“This accommodation was inspected twice before the start of the .
“However, on the day before the beginning of the championships, it was discovered that post-grad students were utilising one of the blocks during the winter recess.”
Nduna said officials found alternative accommodation but it was not to their satisfaction as it was far from the venue of the games.
The problem was resolved that night.
Other concerns included athletes arriving late at the games venue and being disqualified, the general safety of athletes and catering and laundry issues.
“There was no training on the day . It was only meant for arrival and registration.”
Parents and 600 officials were on the tour.
Attempts to get comment from the UKZN were unsuccessful at the time of going to print. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
EC pupils stranded without accommodation in Durban
The pupils were among 522 athletes from primary and high schools across the province sent by the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (Dsrac) to compete against their counterparts in different sporting codes.
The games started on Saturday and are set to end on Friday this week.
The province sent 37 teams to compete in nine sporting codes.
On arrival, the 64 pupils, who included boys and girls, had to wait for hours before Dsrac officials managed to find alternative accommodation for them at the Coastland Hotel.
The incident angered one of the parents, Suren Packery, who took to a social network on Saturday afternoon.
Packery wrote: “To my fellow spin doctors and Govt Officials, how does one not be frustrated with the failure of provincial structures.
“Selected to represent the province in different sporting codes, we have no real training camps, confusion in planning, and a complete lack of communication.
“Our children have now been subjected to 27 hours in a bus only to arrive and find they have no accommodation in Durban. Now they must go train under those conditions?
“And we question why we struggle to compete! Surely there are forums to initiate an inquest? How do we do this?”
Dsrac provincial spokesman Andile Nduna disputed that the pupils were subjected to 27 hours in a bus, but admitted delays had been experienced on the road to Durban.
These included delays when athletes from Sarah Baartman district did not arrive on time and when a truck jackknifed on the road between Mount Ayliff and Mount Frere.
Nduna said the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) did not inform the department on time that residences booked for the group were still being occupied by postgraduates, who had not left for their holiday.
Other athletes stayed in UKZN residences.
“The earnest preparations for these games by the department and the department of education, started in April, wherein three blocks were allocated at UKZN,” he said.
“This accommodation was inspected twice before the start of the .
“However, on the day before the beginning of the championships, it was discovered that post-grad students were utilising one of the blocks during the winter recess.”
Nduna said officials found alternative accommodation but it was not to their satisfaction as it was far from the venue of the games.
The problem was resolved that night.
Other concerns included athletes arriving late at the games venue and being disqualified, the general safety of athletes and catering and laundry issues.
“There was no training on the day . It was only meant for arrival and registration.”
Parents and 600 officials were on the tour.
Attempts to get comment from the UKZN were unsuccessful at the time of going to print. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
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