South African learners taught in mud brick classrooms built by parents in 1958

More than 2,000 learners at Lwamondo Secondary School in Thohoyandou are being taught in classrooms originally built by parents in 1958 with mud bricks.

Many of the school’s 20 classrooms are cracking, have missing windows and leaking roofs.

In 1968, parents fired mud bricks to strengthen the structures. They built eight classrooms and added more over time with donations from local businesspeople.

Grade 8 classrooms are overcrowded, with more than 90 learners per class. Six mobile classrooms, provided in 2020, accommodate Grade 12 learners. Broken desks and chairs add to the daily challenges.

Only three classrooms have commercial brick, built with donations. The school does not have a single brick building built by the government. The only properly built facilities from the government are the toilets.

Despite this, Lwamondo achieved a 95% matric pass rate for 2025.

Grade 11 learner Ndou Khodani described the classrooms as “unbearable”. He said inhaling dust from the broken ceiling has given his classmates sinus problems.

“These classrooms seem like a death trap for us. The situation is bad. We learn while water is coming in. We learn in fear,” he said.

“The classrooms are a threat to our children,” said Muthupheyi Ramakuwela, deputy chairperson of the school governing body (SGB).

“We have been waiting for more than ten years for proper buildings.”

The local community has tried to fill the gaps, raising funds and doing repairs themselves.

The SGB is urging the department to advertise a tender for the immediate construction of 32 classrooms and administration blocks as promised years ago.

Limpopo Department of Education spokesperson Mike Maringa blamed the delay on a significant provincial backlog and budgetary limitations.

Maringa said budgets were allocated over the past five years for planning and preparatory work. He said plans for Lwamondo, allocated to the Independent Development Trust, are at an advanced stage, and construction is scheduled for the next financial year. Furniture would also be provided.

He said the department prioritises schools for infrastructure upgrades by considering the need, risk, compliance with norms, overcrowding, and the absence of basic services.

“Lwamondo Secondary School has been assessed against this framework and identified as requiring additional classrooms and associated infrastructure,” said Maringa.

• By Thembi Siaga for GroundUp, republished with permission. Read the original here.