Gauteng Provincial Legislature portfolio committee oversite visit to education Projects
By Nqobile Sithole & Khanyisile Kumalo
The Department of Infrastructure Development and Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) Portfolio Committee conducted oversite visits to Noordgesig Primary School, Kwadedangendlale Secondary School and Thubelihle Secondary School in Soweto on the 20 October 2023. The Portfolio Committee was led by the department's Deputy Director General (DDG) for Education & STARS Makwena Selepe. The purpose of the visits was to inspect and assess the conditions of the works done at the facilities to date and seek challenges encountered by the schools.
The visit started at Noordgesig Primary School which started to operate in January 2020 but problems were identified just a year after emanating from poor workmanship. "A year after the school started operating, we discovered poor workmanship as ceilings started to fall". said the head of the school Mr Mayisela. 
 Mr Mayisela also expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the school doesn't have a playground and that Grade 2 leaners don't have ablution facilities. DDG Selepe promised to make a follow-up with the Department of education regarding these challenges. The school is well built however maintenance and renovations are needed for certain parts of the school structure.
The issues that were identified at Kwadedangendlale and Thubelihle Schools were that of poor performance by contractors. DID is engaging with stakeholders to fast-track the appointment of contractors for both facilities to ensure that leaners have conducive learning environment.
The Portfolio Committee concluded the day with a meeting with officials from both Department of Infrastructure Development and Education to discuss the outcomes of the site visit and find solutions to resolve the challenges encountered by the schools. The Committee seeks to monitor the implementation of the projects to ensure that they are within the prescribed timeframe and budget.