Durban — Ohlange High School in Inanda, where Nelson Mandela cast his first vote, will get a facelift.
That is according to a statement issued by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education on Sunday.
Ohlange High School has a rich academic and political history. It was founded by the first president of the ANC, John Langalibalele Dube; and it is the same school where the first president of the democratic South Africa, Dr Nelson Mandela, cast his first vote on April 27, 1994.
The school has also produced many eminent South Africans, many of whom have remained attached to the school as part of the school’s convocation programme.
On Tuesday, KZN Education MEC Mbali Frazer will preside over the handover ceremony of the contractor, responsible for upgrading Ohlange High School in Inanda, under the Pinetown District.
“We owe it to the founding fathers and mothers of our democracy to ensure that Ohlange High School is upgraded and lives up to its rich history.
“This is part of our infrastructure programme that is aimed at ensuring that all our learners, regardless of their background, receive their education in world-class learning institutions,” Frazer said.
Meanwhile, progress has been made at Menzi High School in uMlazi.
Last month, KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Human Settlements MEC Sipho “KK“ Nkosi conducted an unexpected visit to the school.
The project falls under the department’s ongoing service delivery drive named Operation Siyahlola.
Nkosi was surprised to find that considerable progress had been made at the school.
The project at the school is valued at more than R37m, and people from eThekwini’s wards 82, 83 and 85 are employed to carry it out.
The 23-classroom project faced more than two years of delays because of the threat from the construction mafia.
The projected time frame of finishing and handing over the school in 2024 has had to be pushed back to March 2025.
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