"In some classrooms the lights switches have been broken, and now live electrical wires are sticking out of the walls. Without a switch people are forced to connect these two wires by hand every time they wish to turn the lights on"
Tamsanqa Mvokwe
Mngazi Primary manager
Mngazi Primary School
The Mngazi schools, consisting of a comprehensive technical school and a primary school, was opened in March 2002 after Mandela approached banking giant Absa for funding. While the technical school, which was only used for the first time last year is still in a good condition, the junior school at the same premises is a shadow of its former self.
Mngazi Primary School's manager Thamsanqa Mvokwe said the bad condition of the buildings does not only offer many challenges with regards to teaching, but also poses serious threats to the safety of learners and teachers.
"In some classrooms the lights switches have been broken, and now live electrical wires are sticking out of the walls. Without a switch people are forced to connect these two wires by hand every time they wish to turn the lights on," said Mvokwe. When The Herald visited the school this method did however not work either as there was no electricity at all.
Out of 10 classrooms only one did not have a broken door, and broken windows could be spotted all around. Besides broken lights switches, some electrical sockets in the walls also had exposed wires.
In the far corner of the premises, away from the classrooms, a structure was built housing the broken remains of the school's long-drop toilets. A foul smell hang around filthy toilets of which not one had a door, as only the hinges remained on the door frames. Next to the structure more toilets were built, but were broken and filled with rubbish before they could be put to use.
The path between classes and toilets itself is dangerous for the primary school children, as large cattle and vagrant dogs walk around freely, with rusty barbed wire lying hidden in the grass of the overgrown premises.
While Mvokwe said they were appreciative of being built a school for, he said he feared the sponsors and government were waiting for the school to be destroyed before jumping in and assisting.
 This plaque was revealed on the day Mngazi Primary School was officially opened in March 2002, by Nelson Mandela himself. |  Mngazi Primary School manager Tamsanqa Mvokwe shows the exposed wires students have to touch in order to switch a classroom's lights on. |
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 More than one classroom has exposed wires where light switches should be. This is only one example of broken equipment and facilities. |  Like this classroom, many of the rooms throughout the school are without ceilings, where the boards were broken away over time and never replaced. A leaking roof often disrupts lessons in class, and no insulation keeps out the cold. |
 A pupil drinks from a water tank, fed by rain water running from the school's roof. The school is often without water, and ablutions are in a terrible condition. |  Broken roofs, peeling paint and exposed foundations are only some of the signs that these buildings have not been maintained properly since the school's opening more than a decade ago. |
 Pit toilets are damaged beyond use and present health and safety problems for the pupils of Mngazi Primary School. |  Both boys' and girls' toilets are without proper doors. The doors broke of long ago, and no one has fixed them, creating a degrading and dangerous environment for the pupils. |
 These pit toilets were never completed, and now serve as pits where refuse is thrown away. There are however no warnings or measures in place to prevent pupils from injuring themselves in these exposed holes. |