Angie Motshekga Briefs South Africa on State of Education, Almost 200 Schools Damaged in Unrest
- Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga briefed South Africa on the readiness of schools to reopen on Monday, 26 July
- She let parents and teachers know that it was all systems go for Monday and that schools were ready to open
- However, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng face a number of challenges due to the widespread looting and vandalism that left almost 200 schools damaged
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Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga told South Africa that it is all steam ahead for schools to reopen after delays from Covid-19 and violent protests.
She assured the country that the education department and schools are ready to reopen on Monday, 26 July 2021.
Source: UGC
Motshekga also touched on the damage inflicted on schools in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. 137 schools were vandalised in the unrest in KZN. This is a serious setback for education in the province which is already under extreme pressure due to the pandemic.
In Gauteng, 43 schools were damaged, more than half of the schools have already been repaired with the remaining scheduled to be operational soon according to the Bay Bulletin.
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139 Looted and damaged KZN schools to receive mobile classrooms
The number of schools damaged in KwaZulu-Natal as a result of last week's violent protests has grown to 139 from the initial 50 schools reported earlier this week.
Department of Basic Education in KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi stated that education centres and two circuit offices were also damaged in the unrest, according to News24.
Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu visited some of the damaged schools in the uMlazi district and stated that the department will provide mobile classrooms for schools that suffered damage, according to a report by East Coast Radio.
Looting cost KwaZulu-Natal R20 billion
The KwaZulu-Natal economy has lost R20 billion as a result of the violent riots, looting and destruction of infrastructure that erupted in the aftermath of former President Jacob Zuma's arrest.
Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni at a media briefing on Tuesday stated that the damage to industrial and retail facilities will heavily impact the economy, according to a report by SowetanLIVE.
Ntshaveni stated these losses would impact KwaZulu-Natal's GDP and also the rest of the country.
Ntshaveni added that although some production facilities have been damaged, the majority of factories and suppliers have remained unaffected; however, the damage to property as a result of the turmoil is still being assessed.
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Source: Briefly News
