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After more than 12 years of waiting and pleading, Mpindweni High School in Mthatha has finally received desks, thanks to pressure from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
The breakthrough follows an oversight visit on 28 May 2025, led by Commissar Veronica Mente and EFF representatives from King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality. What they found painted a grim picture of a school in crisis: learners packed into overcrowded classrooms, sitting on the floor or sharing broken desks, with no science lab, no projector, and only four calculators for over 750 learners.
Teachers were forced to use a storeroom as a staffroom, while learners endured daily discomfort in unsuitable learning spaces.
Following the visit, the Department of Education acted swiftly, delivering much-needed desks to the school. EFF leaders say this intervention wasn’t charity, but the result of direct pressure and accountability.
“This is not a favour. It’s a response to our people’s rightful demands,” the party said in a statement.
The EFF has vowed to continue fighting for proper education infrastructure, especially in under-resourced rural schools. The party maintains that dignity in education is non-negotiable and that every learner deserves a safe, functional space to learn.
The delivery marks a small but meaningful victory in the ongoing struggle for equal education in South Africa.
