A group of parents in Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, staged a protest outside the YMCA centre, where Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, was launching the 2026 online admissions system, to express their concerns about the construction of a local school on a wetland.

The parents, from Bachana Mokwena Primary School, have kept their children home from school since it reopened for the second term on Tuesday due to the unsafe conditions.

The classrooms for Grade R and Foundation Phase, which accommodate around 400 learners, are surrounded by underground water, sparking fears that the buildings could collapse at any moment.

Chiloane has just kicked off the application process for parents and guardians seeking to enrol their children in Grade 1 and Grade 8 for the 2026 academic year, when the group of parents arrived at the centre and began protesting.

Protesters demanded that Chiloane come out to address their concerns about the school’s safety.

Chiloane assured the parents that he would visit the school to assess the wetland situation and then address their grievances afterwards.

According to Agnes Mashibymi, the school governing body chairperson, children in Grade R and Foundation Phase cannot play outside due to the excessive water surrounding their classrooms. 

“Parents are anxious, fearing the school buildings could collapse at any moment, and worried that the unhealthy environment could lead to children falling ill,” she said.

Mashibymi claimed that parents have approached various departments to voice their concerns about the school’s unsafe environment, but their pleas for assistance have been met with indifference.

“We were at the Department of Education in Johannesburg yesterday, and the HOD told us that this matter has not reached his office. We decided to take advantage of the MEC’s visit to confront him about our issues,” she said.

Moses Makhubela, one of the parents, lamented that despite escalating the issue to the relevant authorities since 2021, no one appears to be taking it seriously. 

“It’s like they are not taking the lives of our children seriously. I am worried about my child’s education, but I can’t replace my child if he gets injured at school,” he said.

After assessing the situation at the school, Chiloane noted that the presence of water is causing the classrooms to deteriorate rapidly.

He announced that the department will cordon off the affected classroom area and deploy mobile classrooms to accommodate learners starting next week.

Grades 4 and 7 learners have been instructed to report to school on Friday. 

Chiloane also cautioned parents against closing schools, saying that doing so is against the law.

He said the department will send a hydro-geologist to the school next week to assess the situation.

Local councillor Violet Phalwane said the core issue is the underground water, and she had previously escalated the matter to the City of Tshwane, which promised to send engineers to the school.

“Unfortunately, the learners can’t come to school because it is unsafe for them to attend school. My problem is that the problem has affected other learners from other grades,” she said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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