Residents halt special needs school project

The construction of a special needs school in Haven Hills, Amalinda, was brought to a halt before contractors could lay the first brick. 

Building for Khayalethu Special School for children with mental and physical disabilities was supposed to have commenced this week but stalled yesterday when residents and Buffalo City Metro (BCM) ward councillor Monwabisi Mahodi requested that contractors vacate the site, saying proper consultation processes had not been followed for the project.

Last week the Daily Dispatch reported that the department of education was relocating the school – which is currently located at Jacob Nanni Place just outside the East London CBD – to a new and bigger site in Haven Hills.

Residents and Mahodi claim the roads and public works department failed to follow proper consultation processes with the residents.

Yesterday about 50 residents, including Mahodi, gathered at the site in Doreen Road and asked contractors to leave.

“We gathered at the site at around 7.30am and when the contractors arrived 30 minutes later we called the supervisor and requested them to vacate the site.

“They did not hesitate and did as we requested,” said Mahodi.

But roads and public works spokesman Mphumzi Zuzile said proper consultations had been carried out with residents during the environmental impact assessments.

“We do not just start building on a site without proper consultations being done.

“Consultations were done before the department of education handed the project over to us,” he said.

BCM mayor Alfred Mtsi’s spokesman, Sibusiso Cindi, said the actions by the residents and the councillor were not “sober thinking”.

“How can they stand in the way of the development of a school,” he asked.

When the Dispatch arrived at the site, a few workers could be seen loading some equipment onto a truck before driving off.

Resident Toney Plaatjies said they were not against the development but against the manner in which public works had dealt with consultation processes.

“We only heard about this development last month through our councillor. We were not properly consulted and informed about the impact of such a development,” said Plaatjies.

Mahodi claims he was informed about the development via a telephone call from an official from public works last month and immediately called a meeting with residents.

“At the meeting residents raised a number of valid concerns and I informed the department of public works about these concerns and asked them to put the development on hold until these concerns were attended to. They ignored my request and together with the residents we decided to stop construction until they rectify the whole public consultation process,” he explained.

Mahodi said some of the residents’ concerns include strain on an already strained sewer-line, no one from the community benefiting in terms of job creation and possible future traffic congestion.

By the time of writing the department of education had not responded to questions sent to them.