South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education, Mbali Frazer officially handed over a new state-of-the-art Ekucabangeni Secondary School. The handover ceremony was hosted on Friday in Umzinyathi District.
The department of education of the province has been dedicated to working towards the development of the education sector. The team has shared that they are supporting the construction of new schools within the district.
The construction for the Ekucabangeni project started on 18 November 2019 and was completed on 19 June 2023 with a total cost of R78.3 million. The structure was awaiting an official handover by the authorities of the KwaZulu-Natal.
Both phase 1 and phase 2 of the project are 100% complete. The structure currently includes 30 standard classrooms, an admin block, a multipurpose classroom. Further, the building also has an NSNP kitchen, 3 laboratories, media and computer classrooms.
The other facilities in the secondary school include ablution facilities, a soccer field, a netball court as well as a guardhouse. The construction of the new school will help the members of the community provide better living standards and facilities to the residents.
The former MEC for Public Works and Human Settlements, Jomo Sibiya attended the event alongside several colleagues. He is currently serving as the Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of South Africa.
Sibiya is an alumnus of the old Ekucabangeni Secondary School and played a critical role in the process for the reconstruction of the school. Accordingly, his presence at the event was seen as an honor.
MEC Frazer expressed gratitude to all stakeholders who played a critical role in the reconstruction of Ekucabangeni. She further called on the community of Nquthu to protect the school and give all the necessary support to safeguard the future of learners enrolling in this school.
“As the Department, we spent R78.3 million to build this school, so it is important to protect it and safeguard it for future generations”, said MEC Frazer.
MEC Frazer further acknowledged that there were business and employment opportunities for the local community during the project of rebuilding Ekucabangeni Secondary School.