after the high court in Makhanda granted an order on Tuesday to repair and replace broken and unsafe ones.
A fire broke out in May 2013, damaging an entire block of toilets at the school. This left the toilets in the block dangerous to use, a situation that the education department has not resolved for the past six years. The school is in a poor section of Makhanda and is solely reliant on government funding.
“The school has been trying everything in its power,” Legal Resources Centre attorney Cameron McConnachie told. “It’s a sad commentary on the state of affairs when they have to litigate to get toilets fixed.” The LRC stated in a press release: “Despite continuing, exhaustive efforts by the school to have it repaired by the Department of Education, it has to date not been repaired. What remains of the burnt toilet block is unsafe and a health and safety hazard. Portions of the roof continue to fall down and the first-floor concrete slab is at risk of imminent collapse. Learners who pass the building are exposed to danger daily.
The LRC represented the school governing body in the case against education MEC Fundile David Gade and the superintendent-general for education in the Eastern Cape.