Pic courtesy NCPD
Once known as a flagship school for learners with severe disabilities, the Ikhwezi Lokusa Special School in Mthatha is now a shadow of its former self.
The school has been marred in controversy amid widespread allegations of neglect and abuse of the vulnerable learners at the facility.
The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) on Friday said it would soon be taking the Eastern Cape Education Department to court in an effort to force the government to clean up its act.
NCPD national director Therina Wentzel said it appeared that the department was dragging its feet in addressing what she said were very concerning issues at the school.
"The only thing that we've heard [from the education department] is that they'll be doing an investigation - but that was a couple of months ago," Wentzel told Algoa FM News.
"We knew about the Ikhwezi Lokusa school for many, many years," she said.
"In fact, it's been one of the absolutely flagship schools for learners with severe disabilities. In the national council we've been working with people who are the products of the school, people with disabilities who are now in leadership positions; owning their own businesses, living a full live, driving cars and having families.
"So it's really been an awesome school [but] in the last couple of years we heard about the school deteriorating - that's about seven years ago.
"It looked bad then but not completely dilapidated," Wentzel said.
"It still seemed as though the people are caring for the children, but now, in the last couple of years, we started to see in the media that things are very bad at the school, especially the physical neglect of vulnerable children."
The NCPD said the school currently has 189 learners.
The organization said it's preparing for its day in court against the provincial education department.
"We are very fortunate that we've got Equal Education's Law Centre on our side," Wentzel said.
"So two of their lawyers joined us [on Thursday] and explained to the parents what their rights are and what their options are. The option what the parents and us, as the national council, chose is to absolutely litigate because there's nothing concrete from the department of education's side.
The NCPD said in the meantime, it would be embarking on a wheelchair drive for the learners who either have broken wheelchairs or are in the wrong wheelchair, as well as for those with no wheelchair at all.
Algoa FM News has reached out to the department for comment.
