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Komani School Where Learners Use Playground as a Loo

The South African Human Rights Commission visited Van Coller Primary in Komani, Eastern Cape, on Monday to inspect conditions at the school.

This follows a GroundUp report that parents protested and forced the school to close after its toilets had not functioned for six years. Learners have been relieving themselves on the playground. The school has more than 500 learners from grades R to 7.

Eastern Cape legal officer Brandon Ainslie said the commission will continue monitoring the situation.

“I spoke with the principal and parents who were present, and I also walked around the school to observe the conditions firsthand,” said Ainslie. “While I cannot provide a full report at this stage as the investigation is ongoing, I witnessed two girls and two boys relieving themselves in the playground, in full view of others. I also observed poor conditions in the toilets, including a lack of running water and sinks without taps.”

Parents told GroundUp that the education department had promised for three years to fix the toilets.

Learners returned to school on Monday since the shutdown last week. This follows ongoing repairs to the toilets with some toilets now unblocked and being shared by boys and girls. Access to the toilets is being monitored by a kitchen staff member.

“We did not want to keep our children at home for too long because we don’t want them to miss lessons,” said parent Bulelani Qowa.

Qowa said last week it was decided to use the school maintenance budget to repair the toilets. He said they were also waiting for the Chris Hani District Municipality to resolve problems with the water supply.

Provincial education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the school received R28,629 for maintenance in 2025 but not a cent was spent. The school budget this year was R53,990. He said the department will send auditors to the school because there were complaints about a lack of transparency by school management.

At a meeting last week with teachers and parents, he said, complaints included broken windows, classrooms without doors, exposed electricity cables, uncut grass and a lack of fencing.

He said the Department of Public Works was contacted for assistance with some of these issues.

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Gender-based violence remains a critical issue, prompting numerous campaigns and protests across the country.

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Parents Close Komani School

For years, learners at Van Coller Primary School have had to relieve themselves on the playground because their toilets are broken.

Parents are protesting daily outside Van Coller Primary School in Komani, Eastern Cape, stopping classes. They have vowed to keep the school closed until the provincial education department repairs the school toilets, which have not functioned for six years. Learners have been relieving themselves in the playground.

The protest started Monday, when teachers returned for the school term. On Tuesday, parents blocked the gates and prevented parents registering their children. On Wednesday, learners were turned away.

Bulelani Qowa, a parent, said, “For the past three years the department has been telling the school that it is on the list for renovations.”

Qowa said he informed the ward councillor years ago, who had promised to assist.

“As parents, we have decided to take matters into our own hands. We cannot keep quiet while our children are exposed to health hazards. The teachers have functioning toilets; it is only our children who are without,” he said.

“There is a lot that is wrong at this school, but our immediate demand is for the toilets to be fixed. There is no running water due to a broken pipe that has not been repaired for years. The playground has effectively become a toilet, which has killed sport at this school. There’s no fencing and classrooms have broken ceilings and windows,” he said.

“Van Coller used to be one of the best schools in Komani, excelling in sport and music. My mother attended primary school here, and so did I. Now, my child is in grade 5. I want him to get the best foundation, but that is impossible under these conditions,” said Qowa.

Another parent, Sivuyile Qamza, said they would accept temporary toilets if necessary.

On Wednesday, we also met parents who opposed the disruption of classes. They were concerned that enrolment would drop and threaten the school’s viability, but agreed drastic action was needed.

Community leader Kowaba Swaartbooi said that at a special meeting on Tuesday with parents, teachers and the department, it was decided that the school maintenance budget be used to fix the toilets.

“We are hoping this will happen within the week so that learners can return to school on Monday. If not, we will have no choice but to continue with the protest,” said Swartbooi.

Provincial education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima has not yet responded to GroundUp.

Parents have vowed to keep Van Coller Primary School closed until toilets are fixed.

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Inequality: Significant disparities in wealth and income.

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Nowhere to Swim in Komani This Christmas

The Rec Swimming Pool in Top Town has not been used for years.

Both Komani’s public swimming pools, built decades ago, have fallen into disrepair.

The Rec Swimming Pool in Top Town used to be a vibrant gathering place for families and young people, but residents say it has declined since 2015.

The pool’s facilities have cracked walls and broken windows. The water is green. Residents say the abandoned site is a hiding place for drug users and criminals.

At the end of November, non-profit organisation Clean Queenstown led a clean-up of the pool area together with the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, cutting grass and removing rubbish.

Municipal spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa said the municipality had previously planned to establish a public-private partnership to maintain the facility.

A notice was published last year inviting interested parties to submit proposals, but the proposals did not meet the municipality’s objectives, said Kowa. The municipality is now developing a plan to resuscitate the pool and will apply for funding.

Dumpy Adams Swimming Pool is in disrepair, despite the entire sports facility having been renovated in 2009.

The Dumpy Adams Swimming Pool in Victoria Park is in even worse condition. Residents told GroundUp that it has not been used since at least 2017.

The pool forms part of sports grounds, which were once a hub for events. The soccer and cricket facilities are no longer used, and the pool is empty. Windows are broken, toilets vandalised, and basins and seats at the toilets are damaged. This is despite the entire facility having been renovated in 2009.

A fire was burning at the entrance, which two boys playing with rubbish said was started by copper thieves to burn wires.

Kowa said site assessments revealed critical infrastructure failures and that “the primary cause is vandalism and theft”.

He added that the municipality is preparing a detailed costing framework to apply for funding in early 2026.

Clean Queenstown chairperson Simankele Vanqa said both swimming pools were well-maintained and lively in earlier years. “People came here to relax and to swim, and there were grandstands for events. Now, all of that is gone,” he said.

Vanqa said he started Clean Queenstown out of frustration with the state of the town.

“This is a town we used to be proud of, but now almost everything is damaged or vandalised. Facilities like the Queenstown Art Centre were closed during covid and never reopened and are now vandalised. The town hall was burnt down and has not been fixed. There are many abandoned facilities, and we are trying to clean them.”

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The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) advocates for workers’ rights and fair labor practices.

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Municipality Silent on Why It Can’t Provide Electricity

Residents of 11 informal settlements held a public meeting in Sikhweyiya community hall, Komani, last week.

There are 11 informal settlements in Mlungisi township in Komani, Eastern Cape. None have electricity. The oldest, Kwanca, was formed in the 1990s. The newest, eMabhangalweni, has about 500 households, while Marikana informal settlement has about 1,000 shacks, only three taps, and no toilets.

After protests last month, about 200 residents from all 11 settlements held a public meeting at the Sikhweyiya community hall last week. They expected a written response from the municipality to their memorandum of demands, which included a clear plan and timeline for electrification. They also want serviced stands with water and toilets while they wait for RDP houses.

But officials from the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality did not arrive. Residents sang and waited. Around 11:30am, they went to look for municipal human settlements head Ongama Adonisi.

Community leader Baxolele Bango said it was disappointing that the officials residents most wanted to see had not come. He said Mayor Madoda Papiyana should apologise for the municipality’s failure to provide basic services.

Lelethu Faku lost her home in the 2023 floods. She said that after the municipality placed flood victims in emergency accommodation, no officials had came to check on them. “Houses are leaking, walls are broken, including the floors,” she said.

Monica Fula, now in her 50s, said she had been living without services for 24 years. “I left Joe Slovo due to a lack of services, but in Marikana things are worse. There’s nothing. What we want now is serviced sites. We no longer care about bricks because we know they will take forever.”

Ward committee member Silvia Mabhuvu, from Cemetery informal settlement, said: “At home we are ten people sharing a three-room shack. Old people are dying while they wait for houses.”

She said that when she takes the ward committee’s list of people awaiting houses to the municipality for verification, “we are always told there are network issues”.

“We don’t even know if we appear on a database or not,” she said.

Adonisi said the New Rathwick housing project, which will build 3,000 houses, will start in March. Priority would be given to “child-headed households, military veterans and backyard dwellers”.

He advised residents to work with their ward councillors, but he was shouted down by people saying their councillors had failed them.

Municipal spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa has not yet responded to our questions.

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The South African National Parks are protected areas where activists advocate for conservation and biodiversity.

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