The Department of Employment and Labour has closed down Thato Secondary School in Botshabelo, Free State. The closure of the facility emanates from a reactive inspection conducted by the department's inspectorate in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The latest prohibition is the third issued to the Department of Education over the last three years. The school has been closed down due to unsafe electrical installation, mobile classrooms that are not stable on the ground and broken ablution facilities. These findings pose imminent danger and possible injury or death to learners and employees.

Preceding this prohibition, the facility was in 2021 found to be non-compliant with some provisions of the OHS Act (Environmental Regulations for Workplaces, Facilities Regulations and Electrical Installations Regulations). The employer (Department of Education) was subsequently issued with the Prohibition notice as the inspectors found that some classrooms were not in a condition to be occupied due to cracks on the walls, falling ceiling and light fittings.

A follow up inspection was conducted on 14 January 2023, it was found the employer had implemented corrective measures with regards to the prohibition notice that was issued in 2021. However, inspectors determined that some of the classrooms that were rendered safe for occupation in 2021 were in a dilapidated condition and posed a safety hazard. Upon these findings, the Department of Education was issued with a prohibition notice. To remedy this, the Department of Education bought mobile classes which were being used as temporal classrooms.

Provincial Chief Inspector Manelisi Luxande said, “the continued disregard of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations by the Department of Education is a cause for concern. This compounded by the fact that through such blatant disregard of safety issues, there is inevitable harm and fatalities against the occupants of the school. We cannot gamble with lives of the learners and educators by permitting the school to operate under such glaring occupational safety issues".

The school will remain closed until the Department of Education adequately implements corrective measures to the OHS findings as determined by the inspectors.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Cebisa Siyobi

Provincial Communication: Free State

072 427 6034                                           

cebisa.siyobi@labour.gov.za

-ENDS-

Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour

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