Radio silence follows construction problems at Laerskool Laeveld

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31-07-2023
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Lowvelder
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Questions as to when the expansion project at the school will be finished, are still unanswered.

Twelve of the foundation phase classes at Laerskool Laeveld were unable to restart school for the third term on July 18.

This was due to the contractors working on the current expansion project at the school demolishing one of the emergency escape routes.

A building of three stories or more is required to have a minimum of two escape routes, as per the National Building Regulations & Building Standards Act. However, the fire prevention officer of the City of Mbombela, Jacques Stassen, found this not to be the case at Laeveld.

Last week, Laerskool Laeveld had to make a plan to rectify the problem in order to have their foundation phase return to school. A temporary emergency staircase was erected by a new group of structural engineers last week, and Stassen deemed it to be safe to use.

On Thursday July 20, Laeveld’s management was elated to announce that their foundation phase classrooms may slide into their school desks for the third term. The Grade Ones, Twos and Threes started their third term on Friday.

“The educators are working hard to recover learning and teaching time, and the school management is positive that the composite curriculum management plan to address the missed school days will ensure that no learner is negatively affected,” Laerskool Laeveld said in a statement on July 25.

The prior problem of the learners’ return may, however, be out of the way, but questions as to when the construction will be finished, are still tangible.

Lowvelder previously stated that the spokesperson for the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, Bongani Dhlamini, had said the construction was expected to be completed in December this year. In his media statement to the publication, he also said infrastructure and technical meetings had been held on a monthly basis.

According to Laerskool Laeveld, only two of these said meetings have taken place.

Since the last article, the Ehlanzeni District’s director, Dr Jabulani Ndlovu, has acknowledged that he has taken notice of all the school’s concerns regarding the project and assured it that the infrastructure team would be working to resolve the matter.

Several officials have also visited the site, including Mbombela’s circuit manager, Musa Linkwati. According to Laeveld in its statement sent out on July 25, the Public Service Commission is also busy conducting an investigation into the expansion project and preparing a report from its side.

The principal agent on the project, Dumisane Nkuna, invited the school to attend a progress meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning, July 26. By the time of going to press, the findings of that meeting had not yet been made available.