Madzikuse Combined School severely damaged by storm

Learners at Madzikuse Combined Primary School in Hatshikonelo village, outside Thohoyandou, were forced to write their final examinations under the trees after a heavy storm broke loose in the area on Wednesday, 29 November, and ripped off the roofing of the school building in places, leaving some of the classrooms exposed and damaged.

The chairperson of the Hatshikonelo Royal Education Desk Committee, Vhamusanda Mudzulathungo Mmbi, said they were informed about the destruction at the school early the next morning after the storm, and upon arrival found that for the learners to write their examinations inside the damaged classrooms was not safe. “After assessment, we compiled a report and found that the roof had been ripped off. The ceiling and electricity wires were damaged, and the walls were cracked. We have not seen such destruction caused by a storm in our area for a long time. It was unbelievable.”

Mmbi said they had written many letters to the Department of Education regarding old and dilapidated schools that need to be refurbished, but that nothing ever happens. According to Mmbi, some of the classrooms had been built with mud bricks back in the 1960s.

The chairperson of the school-governing body at Madzikuse Combined Primary School, Ms Mashudu Masera, said she was very shocked about the incident. “It was pure luck because the storm broke out just as the learners were leaving to go home that afternoon. Otherwise, we might have had casualties.”

Masera said they were worried about the coming year, not knowing whether parents who were concerned about their safety would be bringing their children when school started again.

At the time of our going to press, the spokesperson for the Department of Education in Limpopo, Mr Matome Moremi, said he was still waiting for the formal report from the affected Vhembe District Education office before he could comment on the incident but promised to update the media as soon as possible.

Date:07 December 2023

By: Silas Nduvheni

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