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The Eastern Cape Education Department said the opening of schools on Monday went off “smoothly”.
That is according to Department spokesperson, Loyiso Pulumani, who said "most schools" reopened, while also acknowledging that some schools still faced "challenges" with respect to the provision of water and sanitation and Personal Protective Equipment.
In a statement to Algoa FM News, he said the Department had received reports during the day that some schools without water and proper sanitation remained closed.
"We are receiving reports from Rand Water that the delivery of water tanks are still continuing. In some places, tanks have been delivered but it’s just that they need to be filled up," he said.
Pulumani said that he was "aware" that over 75% of schools that had been promised water tanks have received them.
He also said the delivery of Personal Protective Equipment to some schools remains a challenge due to disruptions caused by SMME's last week.
"These are issues that we expected. We are aware that in some areas PPE's are running late but they will be made this week," he added.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance painted a different picture, based on statements made by Premier Lubabalo Mabuyane.
MPL, Yusuf Cassim, said in a presentation over the weekend the Premier noted that as of last Friday 3 197 out of the 5 105 schools, had still not received any Personal Protection Equipment.
He said according to the Premier 3 286 schools were technically ready to open, in that the principals and teachers were ready to return to school, 1 751 were partially ready and 156 were not ready at all to open.
Cassim said these figures stood in sharp contrast to what the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, said in her briefing over the weekend, that 4-660 Eastern Cape schools were ready to open.
He said it would appear that she had been "misled".
