3 February 2025
Learners from Felrom Mfityini village, outside Fort Beaufort, hold hands as they cross a river to get to school. Photo: Loyiso Dyongman
Every school day, about 20 primary school children from Felrom Mfityini village in ward 7, a few kilometres outside Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape, walk for over an hour and have to cross a river to get to Oakdene Primary in Gqomo village.
Parent Nokholo Qeqe said the education department told them that there aren’t enough learners to justify a school on their side of the river.
“If we could just get a bridge so that they can be safe to get to and from school that would be fine,” she said.
We found learners at the riverbank taking off their shoes and socks and rolling up their trousers. They hold hands and some use sticks as they cross the river. It is slippery and it takes some effort to keep their balance. Some parents assisted them to cross.
A woman, who did not want to be named and whose sister has a grade R learner at Oakdene, said it’s a daily routine taking the children to the river and then waiting for their return in the afternoon.
“I was still a learner when the bridge collapsed. I think it was around 2010,” she told GroundUp.
“The main thing that makes us nervous is that these are small kids, and they could easily be swept away by the water. Older kids leave very early in the morning, at about 6am, and they will cross the river at that time.”
“It’s not just school children that are struggling with this challenge. Elderly people are also crossing … when they go to buy groceries and collect medication. When we go to town in Fort Beaufort, we have to cross,” she said.
Ward 7 Councillor Kwanele Siduli said they met with SANRAL last week. “We are going to fix the bridge … It is going to start soon. As the municipality, we are aware that the kids are at risk and even older people.”
Education department spokesperson Mali Mtima didn’t respond to our questions.