Kwata Primary school receives infrastructure upgrade

Learners and teachers of Kwata Primary School in Ga-Phala, Limpopo will now learn and teach in a suitable environment following the recent infrastructure upgrades to the school thanks to a public-private partnership.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) partnered with Lebalelo Water User Association to equip disadvantaged communities in Limpopo with improved resources and infrastructure.

Deputy Minister of DWS, David Mahlobo accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer of Lebalelo Water User Association, Bertus Bierman recently handed over flushing toilets, water taps, a wastewater treatment facility, portable water storage tanks, solar panels, whiteboards, a computer laboratory and library to the school.

“I am pleased that the government has come to a point of working efficiently with the private sector for the good of communities.

In working together, we will uplift communities and move the sector to greater heights,” said Deputy Minister Mahlobo.

The infrastructure upgrade was a much-needed relief and were received with joy by the learners and  teachers.

“The learners were excited about the new additions to the school. For some of them, it was their  first  time using a flushing toilet,” said Kwata Primary School Principal Letlabi Lipusa.

He explained that the school had water and sanitation challenges before the upgrades.

“We were using the bucket system toilets that would get full after six months and needed to be offloaded by a hired company. The cost of this process was very high and financially challenging to the school.”

 Lipusa also said the school struggled with securing clean drinking water.

 “We previously used one borehole to get water using two taps. This was not enough as we frequently ran out of   water and had to hire a van in the nearby villages to deliver 5 000 litres of  water that would last us a week or   two,” explains Lipusa.

 The school now boasts with a waste-water treatment facility, water storage tanks and three more taps. They   also   have a backup reservoir that connects them to a nearby village.

 Furthermore, Lipusa added that the newly installed solar panels would serve as backup support during load   shedding. 

“The School Governing Body, teachers, learners and parents were engaging in meetings to ensure the maintenance and protection of the new infrastructure and resources,” Lipusa concluded.