New Alrapark Primary School To Be Built For R120 Million In Nigel

The Gauteng Department of Education has announced plans to construct a new Alrapark Primary School in Nigel, Johannesburg, at an estimated cost of R80 million to R120 million. This decision follows years of learners attending classes in deteriorating structures since 2013.

Education MEC Matome Chiloane confirmed on Monday that rebuilding is more cost-effective than refurbishing. “When we did our calculations, we found that it is better to build a new school than to fix these ones because we pay for demolition and pay for building as opposed to paying for building,” Chiloane said.

He added that the new facility will be larger to accommodate the growing learner population.

Construction Timeline and Community Oversight

The Alrapark Primary School Infrastructure Crisis Committee welcomed the announcement but vowed to monitor the project closely. The department confirmed that construction would begin soon and is expected to be completed within 18 months.

“The committee will be given deadlines for all phases, and I want to be held liable should there be any delays,” Chiloane assured.

Community members previously raised concerns about the unsafe, crumbling buildings and dusty playgrounds, which posed health risks to children.

Accountability After Past Failures

Chiloane acknowledged past failures in school infrastructure projects, referencing Noordgesig Secondary School, where a contractor was paid more than R2 million for incomplete work in 2024. He confirmed that inspectors involved in that case were disciplined and investigations were launched.

“They need to make sure that we don’t have another Noordgesig, where I get to say work has been done because there are all the signatures, but then work was not done because of some agreements,” Chiloane warned.

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He also emphasised that the school nutrition centre will be a priority in the rebuild to ensure learners have access to proper meals.

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