Department in choppy waters over school boats

Durban — Lifesaving boats meant to ferry pupils who wade through crocodile-infested rivers to school are rotting in Durban while classroom numbers are dwindling because of the dangers involved in getting there.

What’s more, the KZN Education Department has hinted that more boats might be needed.

This week, the Independent on Saturday found four boats, which were bought in 2017 for millions of rand, parked on land at the KZN Sharks Board at uMhlanga Rocks.

There are weeds growing out of the vessels which are emblazoned with the message, “Championing Quality Education – Creating and Securing a Brighter Future.”

While the rainy season is in full force threatening the lives of children who have to brave treacherous waters to get to school, the Education Department’s communications head, Muzi Mahlambi, said they needed more time to come up with a plan to use the boats.

“These boats are being accounted for. It’s not like you found them at the Pavilion or at Gateway. They are not hidden, they are parked on an open space so that anyone can see them, so the Sharks Board know (the) department has parked the boats. It’s not that they woke up and they saw the boats in their yard.”

While the exact number of boats purchased by the province could be as high as eight, Mahlambi said there were only two boats. The Independent on Saturday tracked down four.

“It’s fine, two and four, there’s not much difference. The principle is the boats are there and not utilised and that is the key problem for us, not the number.“

Mahlambi said they held “advanced talks” with the Department of Transport, which assisted with scholar transport, about how the boats could be used in areas where bridges had not been built.

He said the districts that were supposed to benefit initially were uMzinyathi, Umkhanyakude and Zululand. Therefore the head of department was told to resuscitate the programme “speedily”.

Some boats were used to transport pupils but he hinted many of the department’s efforts to provide a safe passage for them were derailed by nature.

“Some of the boats were allocated to the uMlazi district. At that point there was a need for that, and Ugu district. But when the boats came, the situation changed in those districts. It’s not that we did not have a plan to use those boats. Obviously, when the water (level) runs down, you can’t use a boat with an engine and all the stuff underneath it,” Mahlambi said.

The DA’s Imran Keeka said he had repeatedly questioned why the boats were bought but never used. When he raised the issue at a portfolio committee meeting, the department admitted that they were unusable and recently also admitted that no feasibility study had been conducted before the expenditure on “what has turned out to be a useless project”, said Keeka.

He said Education MEC Mbali Frazer and her head of department had, more recently, confirmed under oath to Scopa that one boat was in use in the Umkhanyakude district and solutions would be sought for the rest.

The IFP’s Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa said it appeared that no feasibility study was conducted during the procurement process, or before the purchase of the boats.

She said the education department instituted an investigation into the matter but no report was released.

“Therefore, the budget required for staff, as well as the maintenance of boats, was not considered. The department concluded, after the purchase, that the boats could not be utilised.”

Madlopha-Mthethwa said that last month Frazer and the head of department told Scopa the department was consulting other departments about the possible transfer of the boats.

She said that according to the department, if the boats were taken over by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs they would be used to carry out rescue missions in the event of disasters, or in tourism-related activities.

“Such a significant amount could certainly have been better used, possibly to employ more security guards at schools, or to provide learner transport. We are convinced that corruption is involved,” she said.

Teacher unions Sadtu and Naptosa are outraged.

Sadtu’s Nomarashiya Caluza said that at one stage they had been told that a boat engine had been stolen and that another boat was at the department’s offices in uMlazi.

Naptosa’s Thirona Moodley said the department was irresponsible.

“Schools have only received a portion of their allocation and there are other financial cuts,” she said.

The KZN Sharks Board sent a terse reply to queries about the boats.

“Please note that the Sharks Board has no dealings with the boats. Kindly liaise with the Department of Education for clarity.”

The office of Premier Nomusa DubeNcube said the boats were bought by former Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwana and currently only one was in use at Nkovukeni in the uMkhanyakude District.

“Currently the volumes of water have dropped.”

Her office said that a feasibility study was conducted before the boats were purchased.

“The Department presented to SCOPA where it indicated that the feasibility study was inadequate. Disciplinary actions were taken against the responsible official who resigned.”

Dlungwana said that he attended the launch of a boat in uMkhanyakude but that its procurement was approved before he took office and that he had no knowledge of any other boats.

Independent on Saturday