Crumbling school now a drug den

Kwaford Primary School in New Brighton has undergone a transformation over the past two years – from corridors filled with curious minds and highpitched voices, to a dilapidated drug den.

Residents in neighbouring Sokuta, Nthshekisa and Mabija Streets are concerned for their safety as they say vagrants, drug abusers and criminals frequent the crumbling structure.

Kwaford Primary School was closed in January 2016 as a result of dwindling pupil numbers.

At the time, there were about 75 enrolled pupils with three permanently employed teachers and one volunteer Grade R teacher.

New Brighton resident and Kwaford Residents Committee member Vuyisile Lamani has been tracking the decay of the structure and subsequent social ills which have plagued the now roofless building.

“This site has since became a hub for criminals where residents, especially in Mabija Street, have become victims of break-ins by criminals who hide at the site overnight,” Lamani said.

“In March, two dead bodies were found on this site, and there have been rape cases reported to the SAPS in New Brighton.
“And people passing by are targets, being robbed of their belongings like cellphones and money.”

The decision to close the school was met with strong opposition for about two years from residents who tried to salvage the school.

The school is now a roofless, irretrievable structure littered with waste, building rubble and broken walls.

KRC member Xola Mlambo, 58, said the committee had written several letters to the departments of education and public works to resolve the issue, but it had yet to receive a response.

“I was the most recent victim of a break-in just two weeks ago. They broke into my house in Mabija Street. The structure is definitely creating more crime in the area,” Mlambo said.

“Keeping this site clean of debris can help reduce hazards. The benefits of good housekeeping far exceed the small additional effort required to establish good housekeeping practices.

“Should this be corrected, the banks would gladly increase the value of our houses as our standards would be in compliance with required residential standards.”

Former Kwaford pupil Nomazima Kleinbooi, 38, said: “It is really a heartsore issue for us as former pupils. To think this school laid the foundation for me to get a matric. And now it is only occupied by people ruining their own and others’ future.”

Education department spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said: “Usually, in these instances, the structure is given to the Department of Public Works, as they are the custodians of government buildings.”

He said there were 17 vacant schools in Nelson Mandela Bay, with seven in New Brighton, five in Kwazakhele, three in Zwide, one in Zinyoka and one in Motherwell.

Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge confirmed that criminal incidents had been reported at the school.

Public Works spokeswoman Vuyokazi Mbanjwa said the facility had been handed over to the department.

“The national department indicated a need to acquire the property for the extension of the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court and nearby police station,” she said.