About 800 schools in KwaZulu-Natal still have asbestos roofing, said the MEC of Education in KwaZulu-Natal, Mthandeni Dlungwane.
The asbestos problem is among a number of infrastructure challenges the department faces.
“An audit has shown that at least 800 schools still have asbestos roofing and the removal of this is being prioritised as it poses a health risk to our learners,” said Dlungwane during his budget speech at the provincial legislature on Thursday afternoon.
Asbestos has been banned in South Africa. A report published by the National Institute for Occupational Health stated that asbestos was a serious health hazard which caused many deaths every year globally.
Dlungwane spoke about continued budgetary pressures and the department’s hefty wage bill.
He told members of the legislature, “infrastructure development continues to experience budget cuts since 2014/15 due to compensation of employees. This creates an unhealthy reliance on the conditional grants which always come with their own priorities and conditions.”
