Northern Cape High School’s sport facilities have slowly been deteriorating since 2016. The school’s governing body chairman, Yvette Lourens, said that the initial incident transpired in 2016. “The school governing body (SGB) of 2016 requested consulting engineers to investigate and report on the abnormal deterioration of the surface of six existing tennis courts and cricket nets. The pool pump and filter room were also examined. In short the report determined that the damage showed signs of standing water and recurrent flooding.”
She said the playing fields were also examined and it appeared dry to visual assessment. The field was, however, soft underfoot. “After an insertion and removal it showed that subsurface soils were fairly wet.”
The areas had evidence of intermittent and regular flooding in the form of surface run-off. Lourens said that legal action was taken against Sol Plaatje on behalf of the school. The damages to property was never reimbursed.
“This is now the umpteenth time that this is occurring and it is once again hampering our sport preparation for the up and coming major Wildeklawer sport tournament.”
She also said this detoriation is impossible to miss. Anyone that drives past the school can see it. “Anyone either in front of the school or on the gravel road by the sport fields can see the damming up of water on the fields, the constant running water in the front of the school, making drop off of learners nearly impossible and causing traffic build-up.”
The water in the road in front of the school has caused accidents and Lourens said they are afraid that even more dangerous accidents will occur. The rugby boys are up to their ankles in water during a practice. They have to halt practices and preparation because of this flooding. The netball courts are once again being damaged by the constant water.
Lourens said that this has happened many times before. “We have even had earth moving equipment make a sand barrier to stop the water from flooding our fields. This was temporary and has since also been washed away by the clean drinking water that flows into the school property, uncontrollably and in the road in front of the school, damaging the road, not that there is much road surface left. This is another safety issue for our learners.”
Luckily, they have ideas to fix this. “The school will have to have a trench dug on the border of the Sol Plaatje Municipality fencing, to redirect the water away from the school. Our school buildings, swimming pool, newly renovated netball courts, rugby fields and previously damaged tennis courts and cricket nets are still under threat and being drastically damaged.”
Lourens said the ways in which the municipality could assist the school will be financially and by providing manpower.
“By financially assisting the school to get our property / sport facilities in useable, favourable and acceptable conditions.
By assisting the school with the digging of a trench needed to direct their (Sol Plaatje Municipality) water which leaks on to the school property, causing tremendous damage.”
