“There is no water here. At times, it would stop running and now we are sitting completely without water,” said department head Phumzile Nkasana, who added that water supply was not a problem when the luxury car company spent R5-million on the school and a nearby clinic.

“Some time ago the water that came from our bathrooms and kitchens at the school was dirty,” said Nkasana.

The only water is from tanks and for that the school relies unreliable rain fall. The tanks are full for now, but Nkasana is concerned about what will happen when they run out.

“If there is no water we will have to start sending learners home and we cannot afford to lose any school time.”

Apart from the water crisis, some broken windows and damaged doors, there is a critical shortage of desks and chairs that forced the pupils to sit on the floor while trying to write.

“Every class starts in chaos. The learners run into class pushing and shoving each other to find whole desks, while others rush to find pieces of desks. By the time class starts some are left holding only the frame of a table and others try and balance desktops on their laps. Others just go and sit on the floor and work there,” he said, demonstrating how learners balance the desk planks on their knees.

The shortage of desks and water has had a grave impact on the school’s matric results, with figures dropping from 80% and higher to below 60%.

“We are struggling, but doing our best. At this point we are still coping, but I do not know how much longer we will be able to hold out under these conditions.” - Mkhululi Ndamase and Riaan Marais