Ceres Primary School learners haven't started 2026 academic year due to safety hazard

More than 900 primary school children in Ceres, Western Cape, haven’t yet started the 2026 academic year because their school has been deemed a safety hazard.

Parents of pupils from the Nduli Primary School have refused to send their children since October.  

ALSO READ: Ceres school remains empty as parents demand urgent infrastructure upgrades

The African National Congress (ANC)'s leader in the province, Khalid Sayed, said the matter has been raised before.

He said they’ve now written to the Basic Education minister and the Education Portfolio Committee about the condition of the school.
 
"We've been raising this matter for a while now. We've raised the issue at the level of the legislature with the department, parents have raised the issue, the local council has raised the issue, the SGB has raised the issue, the school has raised the issue, but the department has failed to respond adequately."
 
Sayed said that the party has requested the portfolio committee conduct an oversight visit urgently.
 
He reiterated that the right to quality education in a dignified, safe environment is constitutionally mandated, not a privilege.
 
"The continued neglect of in Nduli Primary reflects a broader failure to prioritise working class and rural communities in infrastructure planning and delivery."