Gauteng school sinkhole yet to be repaired, pupils likely to continue learning in mobile classes
The massive sinkhole caused damages to classrooms and toilets at Relebogile Secondary School in 2023, resulting in pupils resorting to mobile classrooms at a another location opposite the school.
A sinkhole has caused major damage at the Relebogile Secondary School in Carletonville. Picture: Alpha Ramushwana/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - It remains to be seen how a massive sinkhole will affect schooling at Relebogile Secondary School in Carletonville.
It's been almost a year since Eyewitness News reported about the sinkhole that swallowed a portion of the school causing damage to classrooms and toilets.
In February 2023, heavy rains hit the community on the West Rand, causing the sinkhole to form at the school overnight.
While classes were suspended for three months, the Gauteng Department of Education resorted to mobile classrooms at a separate location opposite the school.
This was just one of the many sinkholes waiting to be repaired at the Merafong Local Municipality - which lies on dolomitic land.
It's back to school for pupils across the country, but for Relebogile Secondary School pupils this is likely going to be another year of learning in mobile classes.
The Merafong Local Municipality and the Gauteng provincial government have been battling to attend to sinkhole backlogs, with most of them having formed in nearby communities.
When Eyewitness News visited the school in April, the sinkhole was cordoned off with a fence, and pupils were prohibited from entering the school premises.
Geologists were called to examine the area, but there were no signs that the sinkhole would be repaired anytime soon.
[WATCH] It’s #Back2School for hundreds and thousands of pupils across the country but learners at Relebogile Secondary School in Carletonville are still reeling from a massive sinkhole that swallowed a portion of the school. @Alpha_Mero25 pic.twitter.com/bK8vhwggxw
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 17, 2024
PARENTS FEAR ANOTHER SINKHOLE COULD FORM
Parents expressed concern about the temporary classrooms being close to where the sinkhole formed.
Residents of Khutsong, a community in Carletonville, have seemingly made peace with the possibility of sinkholes forming overnight, as they’re well aware that it's situated on dolomitic land.
The many other sinkholes in nearby communities that are yet to be repaired have left parents fearing that another one would form at Relebogile Secondary School.
However, a parent told Eyewitness News that she had no choice but to enroll her daughter at the school because it was the best one in the area.
“Of course, I want my child to be safe, but what other choice do I have? A sinkhole can also appear at another school. There’s nothing I can do.”
Despite making interim interventions, education authorities are yet to map out a plan for how the problem will be fixed.