At the city’s full council sitting on Wednesday, it was decided that prepaid meters would be installed at schools to reduce the burden of debt.
According to the Mid-year Budget and Performance Assessment report for the period December 31, 2017, the electricity department identified that out of the 800 section 21 schools, only 45 qualified for prepaid meters as they were one-phase meters.
The balance of 755 schools use three-phase meters and do not qualify for pre-paid meters.
“As a result, we are currently sending disconnection notices and disconnection will have to be effected in these schools,” the report read.
Section 21 schools are responsible for their own payments.
The report stated that the city had a meeting with the Department of Education official who said they were previously responsible for payment for these schools, but do not have a budget for payment for section 21 schools anymore.
The matter was debated at the municipality’s full council sitting on Wednesday.
Sharon Hoosen, the DA’s chief whip, said the cuts could potentially leave children having to study in the dark.
“The decision of disconnections was absolutely inconsiderate and does not speak very well of this ‘caring city’,” Hoosen said.
The matter was a hot button topic at the sitting where Hoosen said if one looked at the issue it was schools in poorer areas that would be punished.
Affluent
“This is just wrong. How can we justify or defend a decision to disconnect schools with no income? The fact is that schools in more affluent areas will continue to keep the lights on, while those in poorer communities will teach in darkness,” she said.
Mayor Zandile Gumede countered this saying this was not true and that she would not allow poor people to be disconnected from electricity. She said the municipality would be discussing the matter with the school principals and ward councillors to chart a way forward.
Vee Gani, the South Durban chairperson of the KZN Parents’ Association, said electricity was one of the basic needs of schools. The moment a school was disconnected, it would not be able to function.
Gani said he did not believe that schools purposefully withheld payments for services.
It was more of a case of them not having the finances to do it.
Gani argued that free tertiary education was being provided but going to university was a choice people made whereas education for people 15 years and under was compulsory.
“It is in this context that the matter should be looked at. What is needed is for the municipality, the Department of Education and politicians to come forward to make decisions that will ensure pupils are not affected,” Gani said.
Kwazi Mthethwa, Education spokesperson, said electricity was installed in two ways - one was household electricity and the other was commercial.
Schools fell within the commercial sector even though what they did was not for profit.
Mthethwa said the department was looking at finding a solution that would work for both the municipality and the department.
Daily News