A lack of a bridge has left scores of Emagqobhokweni pupils missing school whenever heavy rains hit the village outside Qonce, with parents forced to choose between their children’s education and their safety.
Last week’s persistent downpours flooded access roads and caused streams to overflow, making river crossings too dangerous for pupils to use.
With no safe alternative routes, many parents kept their children at home as water levels remained high for several days.
Residents said the problem was particularly serious for grade 12 pupils preparing for their final examinations, while scholar transport was also unable to reach some parts of the village.
Resident Xolani Mbandazayo said villagers had been pleading with the government for more than a decade to build a bridge.
“Schoolchildren struggle to cross the overflowing river, especially when it rains.
“Even funerals are postponed because people are afraid to carry coffins across the river,” he said.
“Elderly people cannot get to clinics and our village comes to a standstill whenever it rains because we cannot travel anywhere.”
Parent Pamela Naka said pupils were losing valuable learning time ahead of their examinations.
“Children miss school every time it rains because they are scared of crossing the river,” she said.
“They are losing valuable learning time while preparing for important exams.”
Naka said scholar transport could travel only part of the route, leaving children to walk more than 10km to school.
A 16-year-old pupil said some pupils, particularly grade 12s, were so desperate to keep up with their studies that they risked crossing the river.
“They are chasing their dreams of completing their academics,” she said.
“It is sad having to miss school because of being failed by the government.
“It is a challenge always having to keep up with the syllabus.”
The DA blamed the provincial government for failing to provide safe infrastructure in rural communities.
DA MPL Leander Kruger said children should not have to risk their lives to attend school.
“It is completely unacceptable that learners are missing school because the government has failed to ensure that roads and crossings are safe.
“A child should not have to risk their life to get to the classroom, yet this is the reality facing learners in Emagqobhokweni.”
Kruger said the government needed to invest in properly engineered roads, bridges and drainage systems rather than responding only after disasters occurred.
The EFF described the situation as a political disaster, blaming decades of neglect.
EFF MPL Simthembile Madikizela said pupils’ constitutional right to basic education was being undermined by inadequate infrastructure.
“It is a crime that in 2026 children of the province must risk drowning in rivers just to get to school.
“Education cannot happen when the state has failed to build a simple bridge.”
Madikizela called for a provincial audit of villages where pupils cross rivers to reach schools, permanent scholar transport routes and ring-fenced funding for rural roads and bridges.
He said the party would ask the provincial portfolio committee on transport to include Emagqobhokweni on the department’s priority bridge list for the 2026/2027 financial year.
The provincial transport department said it was aware of the impact of recent heavy rains on roads and crossings in Emagqobhokweni and other rural communities.
Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said pupil safety remained a priority.
“We are particularly concerned where these conditions affect learners’ ability to safely access their schools.
“The safety of learners must remain paramount, and no child should be expected to risk crossing a flooded road, river or unsafe crossing to get to school.”
Binqose said officials were monitoring affected roads and crossings.
“The department continues to monitor affected roads and crossings and will assess the extent of any damage to determine appropriate interventions, in consultation with relevant stakeholders.”
He acknowledged that the problem extended beyond schooling.
“We recognise that recurring flooding can disrupt not only schooling but also access to work, health care and other essential services.
“Addressing vulnerable rural crossings therefore requires a broader, co-ordinated response, informed by technical assessments and available resources,” Binqose said.
Residents said they had endured the same disruption every rainy season and were again calling for a permanent solution rather than temporary relief.
Daily Dispatch