Dawn patrol to get to school

Relocated junior pupils must now walk 5km to bus stop

PUPILS, some just six years old, are braving dark and chilly mornings to make a 5km walk to get to school every day.

This is the only way the children of families evicted from privately owned land in Parsons Vlei in Kabega Park can make their way to St Albans Primary School just outside Port Elizabeth.

Since the evictions three weeks ago, the children – who are now living in prefabs in Malabar – make the walk to a bus stop in Cape Road next to Makro, a trip they say is exhausting them and robbing them of their concentration.

Wayne Hendricks, 15, says he loves school but getting there is starting to take its toll.

“We have to be up before 5.30am. We walk together in a group and cover a distance of 5km every morning to get to the bus stop. The three bigger children look after the little ones. When we get to the stop our legs are lame from walking,” he said.

A total of 17 boys and girls embark on the journey to get to the stop every morning.

Winston Potgieter, 9, said he and his seven-year-old brother were scared of being mugged because Bramlin Street was still dark at that time of the morning.

“We walk every morning and when we get into the classroom we are already tired and can’t focus and concentrate.

“I would enjoy it better if transport could be arranged to fetch us from home, just like other children,” Winston said.

Following a court order in September, the 54 families were taken to Malabar and set up in an area which has no electricity or shops. Their new homes are prefabricated structures set on top of bricks and tied down with wire.

Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said that in terms of the court order, the municipality was compelled to arrange alternative land for the people, who were relocated to Malabar last month

“This is a tricky matter. The issue of scholar transport falls within the ambit of the Education Department,” Mniki said.

When The Herald team arrived at the settlement early on Friday morning, parents were busy preparing their children for school. As the children, dressed in their black and white uniforms, started the walk to the bus stop some parents followed behind, making the walk with them.

The parents expressed concern about their new living arrangements, saying they were isolated from everything.

Esme Daniels, 28, a mother of two, said the transport situation had become a nightmare, with the children expected to walk in the dark every morning in areas affected by gangsterism.

“I have two children. One is in Grade 1 and the other Grade 4. It’s not safe for them to walk and it’s still dark that time of the morning. This is why we as parents decided to take turns to escort them to the taxis.

“It was much better in Parsonsvlei because they were fetched from Hunters Retreat which was near our houses,” Daniels said.

Sharoney Didloff, 25, also a mother of two, said the area was not safe.

She woke up just before 5am to prepare and accompany her Grade 2 and Grade 3 children to Cape Road where they usually got transport to school.

“Just imagine the distance they walk and by the time they get to school they are already tired and cannot concentrate in class. As parents we prefer that they should have transport [taking] them to and from school,” she said.

Department of Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said he was aware of the matter and was looking into it.

-Hendrick Mphande