GDE responds to Villa Liza school infrastructure concerns

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) says it is aware of concerns about conditions at Villa Liza Secondary School in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, but has disputed claims that the school’s infrastructure problems are being ignored.

The concerns were raised by DA Gauteng education spokesperson Sergio Isa Dos Santos following an oversight inspection at the school.

Speaking to The Citizen, the department said officials visited the school on 13 August 2026 to assess maintenance concerns, after which it initiated the necessary processes.

“A job card is being processed to facilitate the required interventions,” GDE spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana said.

The DA had claimed the school’s mobile classrooms were in poor condition, with broken windows, leaking roofs, damaged door frames and other infrastructure problems.

Mobile classrooms and toilets

According to the GDE, the school’s mobile structures were erected in 2012 and currently make up most of its teaching infrastructure.

Villa Liza Secondary has 47 mobile classrooms used for teaching, as well as three mobile classrooms for specialised subjects, one for administration and five educator staffrooms accommodating 61 educators.

The school also has a classroom for reasonable accommodation support, one used for the National School Nutrition Programme and another serving as the principal’s office.

Lubhelwana said the school carries out minor maintenance, including repairs to doors, windows and electrical infrastructure, through its allocated maintenance budget.

The department acknowledged that the school’s ablution facilities had aged but said they had been “continuously maintained”.

“The school has also submitted a request to the Department’s Infrastructure Directorate for the provision of new toilet facilities,” Lubhelwana said.

The DA had raised concerns about the condition of the toilets.

“The toilets, where an alleged sexual assault involving two boy learners and a girl learner reportedly occurred, are broken and offer no privacy,” Dos Santos said.

Toilets at Villa Liza Secondary. Picture: Supplied

Furniture shortage being addressed

Dos Santos claimed the school needed between 800 and 950 additional desks and chairs, with some classes reportedly having significantly fewer chairs and tables than pupils.

“The severe shortage of furniture is equally concerning… In one Grade 9 class, 48 students reportedly have only 16 chairs, while another class of 53 pupils has just 15 tables,” he said.

The GDE said the school submitted a request for additional furniture on 24 August.

“The procurement and delivery process is currently underway,” Lubhelwana said.

The department also addressed claims that the school had no electricity, saying it continued to experience recurring incidents of electricity cable theft.

Despite the theft, the GDE said the school had used its allocated budget to restore affected services and ensure teaching and learning continued.

The department said it had also provided firefighting equipment, but some was removed from areas accessible to pupils after repeated incidents of theft and misuse.

“The equipment is currently secured and remains available for emergency use,” Lubhelwana said.

The GDE said it did not have a dedicated budget to provide the school with security or continuously replace resources lost through theft and vandalism.

It urged parents, school governing bodies and community policing forums to help protect school property.

Alleged sexual assault under investigation

The department also confirmed an alleged sexual assault involving a 14-year-old Grade 8 pupil at the school.

According to the GDE, the incident allegedly occurred on 20 August 2026 and remains under investigation.

The pupil’s parents and the school reported the matter to the South African Police Service (Saps), with a case opened under case number 207/08/2026.

The department said its psycho-social support team had been sent to the school to assist.

Lubhelwana said the school had an established supervision roster involving educators and patrollers who monitor different areas of the premises.

“At this stage, the school has not reported any similar incidents or complaints,” he said.

The GDE said it condemned all forms of violence and misconduct and remained committed to providing safe and conducive learning environments.

It also urged school communities to work together to safeguard pupils and school resources.