Radzambo Secondary School in Matsila village, Limpopo, is in a deteriorating condition and learners fear for their safety, according to community members and pupils who spoke to GroundUp.
Buildings weathered, classes shared
Opened in 1987, Radzambo has been serving surrounding communities for almost four decades. The school has seven brick classrooms, one of which remains closed after being destroyed during protests in 2016. Remaining classrooms are worn: they leak when it rains and some rooms have no ceilings, learners and parents reported to GroundUp.
There are three mobile classrooms on site, but two are being used as staff rooms. As a result, pupils in some year groups, notably grades 8 and 9, must share classrooms. The school is designated as a no-fee institution and draws learners from nearby communities including Nkuzana and Njhakanjhaka.
Staff shortages and limited subject choice
Radzambo employs four permanent teachers and relies on four volunteer teachers who teach mainly agricultural subjects and mathematical literacy, according to the GroundUp report. Learners said the school does not offer subjects such as Physical Science and Mathematics, subjects some pupils wish to take.
“We feel abandoned. We are afraid our classrooms will collapse on us,”
a Grade 9 learner told GroundUp. Parents echoed the concern:
“It’s scary to see our children under those school conditions. We hope the education department will intervene,”parent Gladis Thenga said.
Sanitation and safety problems
The school has four composting toilets and three mobile toilets, a configuration parents say is inadequate for the school's enrolment. One classroom still requires reconstruction because it lost its roof. Community leaders have begun informal repair programmes while they await official support.
| Facility | Count |
|---|---|
| Brick classrooms | 7 (1 closed) |
| Mobile classrooms | 3 (2 used as staff rooms) |
| Permanent teachers | 4 |
| Volunteer teachers | 4 |
| Composting toilets | 4 |
| Mobile toilets | 3 |
Community response and hopes
Chief Livhuwani Matsila told GroundUp the community has initiated programmes to improve the school while waiting for the education department to act. Parents said the school's poor condition has affected enrolment.
Community members recalled that the school was among about 28 schools torched during the 2016 unrest over municipal demarcation in the Vuwani area. That destruction included the classroom that remains closed. The history of damage, combined with ongoing wear and inadequate resources, has left the school struggling to provide a safe and full curriculum.
What this means for learners
Families in rural Limpopo depend on local schools for access to education and opportunity. When a school cannot offer key subjects such as Physical Science or Mathematics, learners' future study and work options may be limited. Combined with overcrowding and unsafe infrastructure, the situation at Radzambo raises questions about equal access to quality basic education.
- Parents and pupils want an urgent rebuild of the classroom that lost its roof.
- They request additional permanent teachers to broaden subject offerings, particularly in Mathematics and Physical Science.
- Improved sanitation and repairs to leaking roofs and missing ceilings are needed to secure learner safety.
The GroundUp report provides the details recounted above. The community's appeals were directed to the provincial education department; the report did not include an official response from the department at the time of publication.
For parents and learners in Matsila village, the immediate concerns are concrete: safe classrooms, sufficient teachers and access to science and maths. The ongoing community effort to patch infrastructure shows local commitment, but residents are clear that durable solutions must come from formal channels and planning by the education department.
This newsroom will continue to seek comment from the Limpopo Department of Education on plans or timelines to remedy Radzambo Secondary School's infrastructure and staffing shortages.
