The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has confirmed that all schools across the province will be open on Wednesday, April 10.
This follows the closure of schools on Tuesday in the Cape Winelands and Overberg due to adverse weather conditions.
On Monday, schools in the Cape Winelands, Overberg, and Helderberg were closed due to severe weather which affected 406 schools and nearly 270,000 learners.
Learner transport routers were also not operational at the time and 392 routes that ordinarily transport over 20,000 learners to school each day were affected by adverse weather conditions.
This after a level 9 weather warning was issued by the South African Weather Service at the weekend.
Western Cape MEC of Education, David Maynier said the department will formally communicate the decision to schools.
“There may be schools that request closure due to severe infrastructure damage or inaccessibility,” Maynier said.
“This will be considered by the department on a case-by-case basis through the normal procedures for requesting school closure. Schools with the necessary permission to close will communicate directly with parents.”
He said the department has already received reports of damage at 144 schools.
The damages range from minor issues such as leaks and fallen trees to serious damage like missing roof panels.
“Our contractors are assessing damages and have already started with repairs at some of the schools,” Maynier said.
“We thank all of our officials, principals, teachers, and parents for their response to the stormy weather, and for the support they continue to provide to our learners in the Western Cape.”
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL