Cape Town - It’s not easy to run a school without electricity.
Kraaifontein residents are concerned about the absence of electricity at Bloekombos Secondary School.
Bloekombos Secondary School has been without electricity since December 16. The school claimed that residents from a nearby informal settlement have illegally connected to their electricity.
The school is now using a generator, which is not big enough to cater for the whole school.
One of the residents, Mcebisi Ntozinde, is worried because he used to go to the same school and he said the problem was getting worse.
“I was a pupil at the school and by that time the school was nothing but a centre of excellence, but the current situation is affecting the performance of the learners. Teachers and learners are unable to use computers because there is no power,” he said.
He added that the problem is resulting to a huge drop on results and this is his main concern – because during his time at the school the pass rate was 80%+ but it’s dropped to 60%+.
Ntozinde said he was also concerned about the safety of teachers and pupils because the is no fence at the back of the school, and anyone can easily get in and out without being noticed.
Mbulelo Ncedani, a member of the school governing body, said the school is struggling because the teachers cannot even use computers; they have to go to internet cafés to make copies for the pupils.
“Teachers have to go to internet cafés and pay R2 or R3 a page for each learner in need of a copy. This is a big concern because it will have a negative impact on the school results. We need all the help we can get to fix the matter.”
Ncedani added that some members of the community are fighting against the school, “they do not care about what is happening there and how it has affected their own children attending the same school”.
Kyle Cookson, spokesperson for Eskom, said illegal connections, cable theft and vandalism are still a major problem in Bloekombos, and have led to an increasing number of incidents and equipment failure that has affected the electricity supply to legal customers, businesses and schools.
“One of the schools affected, Bloekombos Secondary, has been without electricity for a few weeks now due to cable theft. The school made a request to Eskom for alternative temporary electricity supply,” said Cookson.
He said Eskom technicians were on site to look at the possibility of construction on a 11kV overhead line. However a group of angry community members harassed Eskom staff and rejected any plans for Eskom to put up electrical structures within the informal settlement areas.
Eskom will always prioritise the safety of its staff and prevent work where employees are subjected to significant safety risks in volatile areas.
Cookson said they have engaged with the principal of the school regarding the decision made.
Eskom calls for the support of the public, he says, and urges community members to report any suspicious activity relating to illegal connections, cable theft and vandalism by calling Eskom at 0800 112722 or contacting the local SAPS.