Delay to start of academic year in Ladysmith, Mkhambathini
The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal says the first day back at school got off to a smooth start in most parts of the province on Wednesday.
Schools in Ladysmith in the KZN Midlands were, however, asked to delay welcoming back pupils for safety reasons due to the floods that hit the town this past weekend.
"Some schools in Ladysmith (and) Newcastle that we advised them not to take chances of crossing the rivers that are swollen, so we delayed opening in some of the schools in those two areas, but generally everything went well," says spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi.
Mahlambi says they have roped in the premier's office and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to intervene in the traditional disputes in Mkhambathini, in the Camperdown area, where 11 schools did not open their gates yesterday.
He says they expect teaching and learning to start in the area from Thursday.
"We had a meeting with the community. On assessing the situation, we felt that let's delay the opening of the 11 schools by just one day and we are going to be guided by SAPS in terms of security clearance. We will then advise our schools as to what to do next."
