ANC takes urgent action on Nduli Primary School crisis amid Witzenberg tensions

The ANC has escalated concerns over conditions at Nduli Primary School to national government, warning that learners have been unable to return to class at the start of the 2026 academic year because of long-standing infrastructure and safety failures.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Leader of the Opposition in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, Khalid Sayed, the ANC caucus said no learners had attended school since reopening, following engagements with parents, the School Governing Body (SGB) and the local ward councillor, Andile Gili, as well as during a school-readiness oversight visit.

Sayed said the situation was the result of what the ANC described as persistent failures by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to resolve problems repeatedly raised by the school community.

Parents and the SGB have flagged severe overcrowding, deteriorating infrastructure, unresolved Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks and the absence of essential facilities such as a school hall and adequate playground space. The ANC said OHS non-compliance issues identified by the Department of Labour as far back as 2016 remain unresolved, placing both learners and educators at risk.

“The failure to provide clear written commitments, implementation plans and time frames has undermined confidence and directly contributed to the disruption of learning,” Sayed said.

In response, the ANC caucus confirmed it had escalated the matter to national level on January 20, 2026. Two letters were dispatched — one to the Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Education, requesting an urgent oversight visit to Nduli Primary School, and another to the Minister of Basic Education, calling for her direct intervention to ensure that minimum norms and standards for school infrastructure, safety and learner welfare are upheld.

The caucus said acknowledgements have already been received from both the Minister’s office and the Portfolio Committee Chairperson.

“Access to quality basic education in a safe and dignified environment is a constitutional right, not a privilege,” Sayed said. “The continued neglect of Nduli Primary School reflects a broader failure to prioritise working-class and rural communities in infrastructure planning and delivery.”

The statement comes against the backdrop of a public clash earlier this week between the ANC and the DA over school infrastructure protests in Witzenberg. The DA alleged that political incitement around the Nduli school crisis endangered learners and heightened tensions between communities, claims strongly rejected by Gili, who accused the party of politicising legitimate grievances.

Parents at Nduli Primary School have withdrawn their children from classes, citing unsafe conditions and overcrowding, while a peaceful march to WCED offices in Ceres and a community shutdown were held in support of demands for written commitments and clear deadlines.

Sayed said the ANC would continue to exercise oversight at both provincial and national level until urgent intervention and lasting solutions are delivered, adding that learners at Nduli Primary School “cannot be expected to wait any longer”.

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus