104 schools in North West have been closed following mergers. The Department of Basic Education last year took a resolution to reduce the number of schools due to lower enrolment figures.

Police in the province say derelict buildings turned into hiding places for criminals.

The Department of Basic Education says they have handed over the vacant schools to the Department of Public Works. 

Education spokesperson in the province Elias Malindi says the abandoned schools will be utilised for other projects. She says they went out into the communities who have showed an interest in the different schools, and they have taken the list as indicated to the Public Works so they can be assisted.  

The merger of schools was introduced last year according to South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 and amended to Act 15 of 2011. The Act stipulates that where there is a low enrolment of learners, the school shall be merged.

However, the Department of Public Works and Roads in the province says it has set up a team that will inspect the vacant schools and provide them with security. 

“We will use them mainly for about three reasons, firstly will use them for office space where we need office space, secondly we will give them to other departments when they need them other than education and thirdly we will give them to communities when they need to use them and also lend them to communities,” says spokesperson for the Department of Public Works, George Madoda.

Police in the province have raised concern on the abandoned schools which have turned into hiding places for criminals.  Police say some building materials have been confiscated from residents, which were stolen from the schools. Police have urged the community to be on the alert when passing the schools at night.

“Although no case has been reported at this stage, we can’t rule out that the possibility that a crime in future will be reported as a results of people who are sitting there but as the police what we are doing we are doing a visible patrols in order to try to make sure that nothing goes wrong in that particular place. We can confirm that one of the schools have been vandalised and criminals are starting to vandalise the second one. We will engage with our sister department responsible for those particular buildings to make sure that something is been done,” says Police spokesperson, Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone.