Kuyasa Primary School was forced to close as residents of Kuyasa, Khayelitsha, protested against persistent sewage overflows on the property, drawing a site visit from the Khayelitsha Development Forum.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ ANA Studios
A hazardous sewage spillage at Kuyasa Primary School in Khayelitsha has brought learning to a screeching halt, sparking protests and intensifying tensions between local residents, community leaders, and provincial education authorities.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) met with community representatives, parents, and local leaders on Thursday.
The meeting follows a protest on Wednesday, when frustrated parents, learners, and Ward Councillor Lonwabo Mqina marched directly to the WCED headquarters demanding an immediate response.
Classes which serve over 1,500 learners in the high-density township of Khayelitsha, have been suspended since August 21, 2026, after raw sewage pooling near Grade R classrooms created an overpowering stench and severe health hazards.
Parents took the decision to keep their children home, citing escalating safety risks.
Some pupils reportedly returned home covered in foul water after falling into the spill during play.
Councillor Mqina said: “The school will remain shut until a comprehensive cleanup and permanent fix are secured.”
Addressing the protesters, WCED Deputy Director-General Alan Meyer explained that he had instructed department officials to pull out of the meeting due to safety concerns, following reports that staff might be held hostage on school grounds until a resolution was provided.
According to WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond, efforts to sanitise and clear the school premises hit another hurdle when local stakeholders prevented dispatched contractors from completing the work.
**Dilapidated infrastructure **
Frustrated residents pointed to ongoing systemic neglect, highlighting that a similar sewage breakdown occurred at the school in 2024.
According to the parents, the School Governing Body (SGB) has continually drawn from its scarce fundraising reserves to fix the broken plumbing, only to face recurring drainage overflows.
Adding to the impasse is a dispute over jurisdiction: the City of Cape Town claims the issue should be addressed by the WCED, stating that the school sits on privately owned property.
In responses, the WCED said past external leaks were handled by the municipality and attributes current delays to community interference with repair teams.
Meanwhile, Kuyasa Community demands immediate, permanent structural repairs from the government rather than temporary patches.
Both community representatives and WCED officials are expected to lay out concrete recovery plans at the meeting, with parents insisting that no children will return to class until the school grounds are sanitised and safe.
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