INLSA
Members of the ANC Youth League toyi-toyi at Sacred Heart Secondary School in Verulam. Picture: Zanele Zulu
Lungelo Mkamba
lungelo.mkamba@inl.co.za
EDUCATION MEC Senzo Mchunu has set in motion a pro-cess to expropriate privately owned land on which the Sacred Heart Secondary School and neighbouring Oakford Primary School are situated, following a dispute with the owner.
The schools and property were originally owned by the Roman Catholic Church, with which the Education Department signed an agreement in 2000.
Under the agreement, the department paid rent for the property at a rate far below the market standard.
However, in 2009, the church sold the property to Marius Maritz, who demanded that the department pay a market-related rent, amounting to about R4 million a year.
He also demanded the payment of insurance for the property.
The matter went to arbitration, where it was ruled that the department should pay Maritz rent at the same rate at which it paid the church for other church-owned schools.
Maritz then offered to donate to the state the entire portion of the property on which Oakford Primary was located, with the department paying the subdivision and transfer costs.
However, in return Maritz wanted Sacred Heart Second-ary to vacate the property it occupied.
Mchunu discussed the matter with the management and governing bodies of both schools and received submissions from other stakeholders, including pupils and their parents, and decided not to accept Maritz’s offer.
Completion
Instead, Mchunu decided to expropriate the land on which both schools stood.
“The process of appointment of a valuer to under- take an evaluation of the property is (moving) towards completion and will be finalised soon,” he said in a letter to the governing bodies of the two schools.
He said the expropriation would be done in accordance with Section 25 of the constitution and Section 58 of the South African Schools Act.
Yesterday, Maritz told The Mercury that he was not aware of Mchunu’s letter to the governing bodies.
He denied allegations by the ANC Youth League that he had plans to evict pupils from the schools, labelling the accusations “garbage”.
Maritz said he was powerless in the face of the expropriation of the buildings and property.
“If the department wants to expropriate the land, it is their right in terms of the constitution,” he said.
Yesterday, a small group of youth league members protested against Maritz and called on Mchunu to take action in the matter.
The protesters marched to the locked gates at the pro-perty, where they bashed the lock repeatedly with a hammer until it burst open. they then entered the property.
“The ANCYL are not children. We are dealing with this matter with Maritz,” Mchunu said.
Approached for further comment on the alleged act of vandalism by youth league members during the pro- test, Mchunu said he could not comment as it would be “political”.
