Cape Town - The growing Helderberg township of Lwandle will soon have a new school, with the completion of the first phase of construction.
This comes after the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spent R860 million on infrastructure investment in the Rapid School Build programme, to increase access to education in the province.
WCED spokesperson Millicent Merton said the Lwandle Primary School will be ready for operation by the start of the 2025 school year.
She said the school has already been registered on the online admissions system.
“The first phase of the school has been completed so far. When fully completed, the school will have 35 classrooms, and the associated administration, ablution and recreation facilities,” Merton said.
The school will also include a water pressure system and solar panels with an inverter and battery system.
Merton said the total project cost for the primary school is estimated at R92m.
Ward councillor Xolani Diniso said the new school will bring positive relief to the community and surrounding areas.
“In our areas we have a very high number of unplaced learners, in particular for high school and primary school,” he said.
In the past three years, the number of unplaced learners in the area has increased, he added.
“This school is going to eradicate and minimise the number of unplaced learners that we are having in our society.
“It is also going to create employment opportunities for the unemployed educators,” he said.
Lwandle community police forum chairperson, Siyabonga Macaula, described the developments as a “blessing”.
“We can remember that in the beginning, we had learners who weren’t accepted because of the overflow of numbers. Building these resources in the area is going to be fruitful for the development of Lwandle; we are not going to take learners out of school,” he said.
Merton added more good news, saying the first phase of a high school is expected to be completed in March 2025.
“The total project cost for the high school is estimated at R140m,” said Merton.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za
Cape Argus