When the parents of pupils attending Hlalelani Primary School realised that their pleas for a new building were not being answered, they decided to close down the school.

Now the 678 pupils of the school at Waterval face a bleak future as the doors of learning have been shut since last Monday. The decision to close down the school was taken by parents and the community "because they fear for the safety of their children," said a spokesperson for the parents.

The school’s 20 classrooms, which were built in 1982, are now dilapidated. The parents fear that the building can collapse and harm their children. The walls are cracked, the floor is riddled with potholes and the roof leaks. Teachers and pupils have reportedly sustained injuries as a result of the holes on the floor.

The chairperson of the school governing body (SGB), Mr Andy Munyai, said parents had pleaded with the Department of Education since 2006  to build new classes, but they had had no luck. He added that they had opted to meet with officials of the department to seek answers to their request for new class rooms.

“Our children are no longer safe in these classes. That is why we took a decision to close the school,” Munyai said. He said that the conditions at the school made it very difficult for education to proceed smoothly. “The walls and roof may fall in at any time. We risk our lives and those of our children every day," he said.

Munyai said they always found snakes and scorpions seeking refuge in the dilapidated classes. “We have applied many times to the department for classes, but our pleas have not yielded any fruits," he said.

He said that mobile classrooms could alleviate the situation as the lack of classrooms was a matter that required urgent attention. “Either that or else government must build classes for our children. Look at other schools in the province and you'll see that they have the luxury of air-conditioners."

A parent, Mr Robert Ngobeni, said they had liaised with the education department on numerous occasions, but they only "got empty promises. There is a serious need for a new school here. Just look, our classes are all cracked, some with the entire roof caved in, which leaves our educators and children at risk and always faced with danger."

The spokesperson for the Department of Education, Dr Naledzani Rasila, said they had a huge backlog in the department, and that they needed about R1,5 billion to renovate schools around the province, including Hlalelani Primary. “We are in the process of providing classes to all schools that have the need, and Hlalelani Primary is one of the schools that have been identified for that project. We are worried about the issue of removing children from the school. Removing children from the classrooms is denying them their future and we strongly condemn that,” he said.