Central SA
Motshekga unveils newly refurbished FS school─── OLEBOGENG MOTSE 12:15 Fri, 15 Oct 2021
Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, is in Bloemfontein on Friday to unveil the newly refurbished state of the art, Joe Solomon Primary School.
Motshekga is joined by Free State Education officials and representatives of the funeral service, Avbob, at the event.
Avbob is financing the school infrastructure initiative, which spans across all nine provinces in the country. Joe Solomon is one of the nine schools that was chosen - one per province. The project emanates from Avbob’s pledge of R135 million to help upgrade schools in the country. The school now boasts a putt-putt mini golf course, science lab, and a multipurpose centre for art subjects and robotics.
Whilst the department lauds this completed Bloemfontein school, construction of the Vogelfontein Primary School in Bethlehem has amounted to nothing more than empty promises, despite R60 million being set aside for the project. Numerous media inquiries sent in July to the Free State Department of Public Works, on the back of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) oversight visit to the school, remain unanswered.
OFM News has been informed that the project has been halted due to an ongoing dispute between Public Works and the construction company. The contractor and the Gauteng-based principal agent that was appointed for the project, allegedly clashed repeatedly over the technical aspects of the construction of the school. Despite numerous pleas from the parties for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to intervene, it seems a little has been done to quell rising tensions.
READ MORE: Major construction on FS school halted
The Free State Education Department, on the other hand, has declined to comment on the matter with spokesperson Howard Ndaba telling OFM News the school “is being implemented by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure” on their behalf and as such queries need to be sent to that department.
The Free State DA Leader, Roy Jankielsohn, was amongst the delegation that conducted an inspection of the building site on 7 July. Jankielsohn, who was joined by Dihlabeng DA Councillors Eric Motloung, Hilton Maasdorp, and Sello Mokoena, allege construction on the school began on 30 June 2020 and was meant to be completed at the end of June 2021. However, upon their visit in July, the school was far from being completed.
OFM News/Keletso Mosebetsi and Olebogeng Motse
