Soil conditions of new Mayibuye Primary School suitable for construction
By Alfred Nhlapo
The Department of Infrastructure Development in Gauteng has noted with full appreciation the continuous public interest regarding the geotechnical soil conditions of the site on which is built the recently completed Mayibuye Primary School in Midrand, City of Johannesburg. The department has reaffirmed that the school is built on suitable grounds that have been professionally assessed for the construction of permanent structures. The site is also not a wetland, as has been publicly stated by some stakeholders.
The perception that the school in built on a wetland was also clarified when the South African Human Rights Commission visited the site. The wetland misconception about the site of the new school is instead based on the negative effects of wastewater seepage from an old municipal sewer line discovered by technical teams outside the premises of the new school before commencement of construction works. Despite municipal service of the line, periodic wastewater seepage was leaking onto premises of a newly built school that was nearing completion, leading to occupational health and safety concerns as well as damage to some of the facilities at the new education facility. The funds for the physical diversion of the old sewer line were requested from Treasury and the line has now been diverted.
The diversion the old sewer line further away from the school site has been done at cost to the province, as is standard practice when a developer tampers with existing municipal infrastructure.
The sewer line diversion was implemented by the Department of Infrastructure Development before the official opening of the school. All civil and construction were done in accordance with infrastructure norms and standards. The school is now fully occupied under the auspices of the Gauteng Department of Education.