By Celani Sikhakhane
- The NFP wants the closed Sivananda Higher Primary School in Mahlabathini turned into a skills development centre for the community.
- Young people in the area must travel to eShowe, about two hours away, to enrol at Mthashana TVET College for skills training.
A school that once served a deep rural community in KwaZulu-Natal has been sitting empty since the government shut it down. Now the National Freedom Party wants to know why no one is using it.
Sivananda Higher Primary School in the Nkonjeni area of Mahlabathini was built through a community effort supported by the Divine Life Society of South Africa. It was closed after learner numbers dropped too low to keep it running.
The NFP’s chief whip in Zululand, Siphamandla Ntombela, visited the school this week. He said communities in the area want it turned into a skills development centre.
“We have a fear that such a beautiful school might be turned into a den of criminals because it is no longer in use,” Ntombela said.
“We call on the government to at least create a skills development centre that will help this community to have different skills in order to create job opportunities for themselves.”
Right now, young people from Mahlabathini who want skills training have to travel to eShowe, about two hours away, to enrol at Mthashana TVET College. There is nothing closer.
In 2023, the KZN Department of Education closed more than 1,000 schools in rural areas and on farms because of low enrolment. Some were merged with nearby schools. Others were shut completely as people moved from rural villages to towns and cities.
KZN Department of Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi did not respond to questions and did not answer calls by the time of publication.
Pictured above: Sivananda Higher Primary School in Mahlabathini, closed by the KZN government due to low enrolment.
Image source: Sivananda HP School/Facebook
