The parents of about 80 children at dilapidated in Mthatha have breathed a sigh of relief after the department of education delivered temporary classrooms.
In March this year, the Daily Dispatch reported that pupils as young as six were being taught in half-collapsed classrooms, posing a risk to their safety.
The school, catering for pupils from grades R to 7, was built in 1972 by community members who did not want their children having to cross rivers and walk through unsafe areas to get to the nearest schools.
Starting with an enrolment of 103 pupils, the school consisted of one block with four classrooms, and another with three classrooms.
However, it was battered by extreme weather conditions over the decades, leaving it in a sorry state.
Parents forked out as little as R50, some from their meagre social grants, to maintain it.
In March, the parents told the Dispatch that the grade 1 pupils were being taught in a damaged, unsafe classroom.
When it rained, pupils from different grades had to share classrooms.
The department of education has finally delivered three temporary classrooms to the school in Bhaziya.
Spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the project began in June this year and was completed on October 7.
It included the provision of temporary classrooms, the installation of electricity, classroom boards, burglar bars, paving, verandahs, tiled floors and fire extinguishers.
In March, Mtima said damage caused by severe weather in 2024 had been reported to head office, along with an incident report, affidavit and photographic evidence of the affected infrastructure.
"Unfortunately, the disaster was not attended to due to budgetary constraints," he said at the time.
"Under Safe [Sanitation Appropriate for Education initiative], the school was provided with enough ablution facilities.
"The recommendation is for provision of two temporal structures and demolition of the unsafe structures."
Seven months later, Mtima said the department had now delivered the temporary structures.
"The school has a serious low enrolment, but because there are delays in the rationalisation programme, the department has an obligation to provide a safe teaching and learning environment," Mtima told the Dispatch on Thursday.
Nongejile Mfenguza, whose eight children attended the school, painted a grim picture of the daily risks faced by the pupils.
"It’s painful. Our children will die in that danger.
"One day, a portion from a mud brick fell next to a child. It could happen that worse tragedy could happen.
"We hear that they can’t build the school, but we are pleading for bungalows," the elderly woman said.
SGB chair Nocawe Mxinwa on Thursday said the parents were elated.
"Our children will finally have somewhere safe to study.
"Over the years, our enrolment decreased because of the condition of the school, as those parents who could, took their children to better schools.
"We think now numbers will improve," Mxinwa said.
The classrooms are yet to be used by the children as an official handover is set for October 21.
"The children are excited and cannot wait to move into the new classrooms.
"Those in the lower grades will move into the new classrooms.
"It's kind of sad because others will still use the old classrooms.
"This is such a relief for us and I wish the department can bring in more of these classrooms because we understand they cannot build a school for us because of the numbers," she said.
Community activist and ANC Youth League leader in the OR Tambo region, Ndipiwe Makaula said: "The school is one of the schools that was going to be shut by the department of education because of low number of pupils and had to be considered not to be shut because the community is isolated and there is no close option for pupils to go to.
"The community has a duty now of ensuring that they protect the infrastructure and that the pupil numbers increase so that soon we can see the department building us a permanent structure.
"We appreciate the work done by the department, and MEC Fundile Gade, who took up the matter when we insisted on intervention."