Learners aren’t safe in schools around Limpopo

Learners aren’t safe in schools around Limpopo
by BRIAN KAJENGO
The Glen Roy Village is 30 kilometres outside Polokwane of about 250 households under Ntona Ledwaba, under Mashashane, has no access to water, toilets, clinic and the dirt corrugated sandy road leading to the village is pain to both vehicle and driver.
AgangSA in its campaign found this miserable situation with toilets at school waiting for another Chebeng incident waiting to happen, where a learner Michael Komape drowned in a pit toilet in death of indignity at the hands of a constitutional state. We have barely forgotten the painful tragedy of Chebeng and yet Glen Roy reminds us vividly how Komape died before our eyes.
Glen Roy schools have no water and learners have to bring water from their homes. These homes have to either buy water or draw from a nearby stream. The little provided by council is nothing but a simulation, with one tank delivered to about 30 houses in two weeks. Some members say the tank never filled, and it is empty before the delivery truck leaves the village.
We cannot accuse municipality for not having spent money for water. The pipes are laid, and stand-taps are close to the yards. They have been dry for eight months. The water borehole that supplied water has been broken for same period. The council also paid moneys for building of toilets. This however is marked by some 500 bags of cement still lying ossified in a room that use to house a community project.
The learners leave school each time it rains to harvest rain water. They call thunderstorm, the ‘Glen Roy’s water pump’ and each time the clouds drone they run in joy, ‘motshini wa Glen Roy wa metsi o a duma!!!’, leaving school to go and harvest rain water. Oh Lord help the black child!!! Can this be the reality of our freedom?
AgangSA shall not rest until this community enjoy rights of the constitution, until they are equal to all citizens, until their dignity restored. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
The Municipal Council has not bothered to explain to the community, Unaccountable Government. The cement bags is wasteful and corruption, Ineffective Government. The denial of sanitation at school is unequal to urban children UNEQUAL treatment. The community have a vote, but do not enjoy the fruit of FREEDOM. We wish to restore the HOPE of founders of democracy and ensure that
Glen Roy and many other communities of rural Limpopo are a part of the new democratic South Africa.
We demand that the Aganang Local Municipality delivers water every day at Glen Roy until an effective government that really love its people and respect their dignity voted into power on 07 May 2014. AgangSA shall ensure that a permanent solution restored immediately to Glen Roy and other similar communities.
“Water is constitutional right, Sanitation is a Constitutional right. Our government have not only laid to the citizens about millennium development goals of 2014, they have also embarrassed in the international community. Let us vote them out of power and have self- respecting leaders taking over the reins. We are ready to restore the promise of Freedom by restoring Hope, Dignity and Equality!!!” Said AgangSA leader.