Mayor’s plan for temporary shelters.
BUFFALO City Metro (BCM) mayor Zukiswa Ncitha plans to build hundreds of shacks on school grounds to accommodate homeless families who are waiting for their houses to be built.
A proposal by the metro has already been sent to the Eastern Cape department of education.
The department confirmed yesterday that it was considering this proposal. But some of the school principals and parents, who have children at the identified schools, have raised their concerns about the potential chaos such a move could cause.
Three schools in Mdantsane’s NU3 – Khanyisa Primary School, Litheni Senior Primary School and Sithembiso Senior Secondary School – were initially identified by the municipality to temporarily house to residents from Linge informal settlement while their houses are being built.
Acting director at the Rubusana district education offices in Mdantsane Sihle Mnguni, however, told the Dispatch that they have since identified more schools for this.
“All that we have is a proposal from the municipality which we are considering. They are targeting school land that is not being used. We still need to go with the municipality to point out the land to be utilised,” Mnguni said.
A proposal to the department of education was forwarded a few months ago after the building contractor had been introduced to the community.
School principals said, after being approached by the ward councillor Zininzi Mtyingizane, they felt uncomfortable with the request and directed it to the district office.
“The councillor said the residents would erect their shacks in the school yard for a short time,” Khanyisa Primary School principal Nokuzola Gxekwa said.
Gxekwa said they were concerned about exposing the children to, among other things, loud music, drinking and smoking. “We are even more concerned of break-ins because our school is already a target of that crime.”
But Ncitha said the plan was to put up temporary structures and even fence off the area from the school grounds.
Sithembiso school principal Lunga Gxolo said the land which the municipality wanted to use was meant to be a sports field. However, due to financial challenges, they could not use the land for sports.
About 560 houses will be built for the Linge community and some of the houses are expected to be finished by December.
Mnguni said the department of education was yet to engage with the affected schools.
Ncitha said it was up to the community to decide if they were comfortable with the schools plan, adding that if the community did not want it BCM would have to find an alternative space for the homeless. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
BCM to put shacks at schools
BUFFALO City Metro (BCM) mayor Zukiswa Ncitha plans to build hundreds of shacks on school grounds to accommodate homeless families who are waiting for their houses to be built.
A proposal by the metro has already been sent to the Eastern Cape department of education.
The department confirmed yesterday that it was considering this proposal. But some of the school principals and parents, who have children at the identified schools, have raised their concerns about the potential chaos such a move could cause.
Three schools in Mdantsane’s NU3 – Khanyisa Primary School, Litheni Senior Primary School and Sithembiso Senior Secondary School – were initially identified by the municipality to temporarily house to residents from Linge informal settlement while their houses are being built.
Acting director at the Rubusana district education offices in Mdantsane Sihle Mnguni, however, told the Dispatch that they have since identified more schools for this.
“All that we have is a proposal from the municipality which we are considering. They are targeting school land that is not being used. We still need to go with the municipality to point out the land to be utilised,” Mnguni said.
A proposal to the department of education was forwarded a few months ago after the building contractor had been introduced to the community.
School principals said, after being approached by the ward councillor Zininzi Mtyingizane, they felt uncomfortable with the request and directed it to the district office.
“The councillor said the residents would erect their shacks in the school yard for a short time,” Khanyisa Primary School principal Nokuzola Gxekwa said.
Gxekwa said they were concerned about exposing the children to, among other things, loud music, drinking and smoking. “We are even more concerned of break-ins because our school is already a target of that crime.”
But Ncitha said the plan was to put up temporary structures and even fence off the area from the school grounds.
Sithembiso school principal Lunga Gxolo said the land which the municipality wanted to use was meant to be a sports field. However, due to financial challenges, they could not use the land for sports.
About 560 houses will be built for the Linge community and some of the houses are expected to be finished by December.
Mnguni said the department of education was yet to engage with the affected schools.
Ncitha said it was up to the community to decide if they were comfortable with the schools plan, adding that if the community did not want it BCM would have to find an alternative space for the homeless. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
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