IY school roof torn off in storm

An Imizamo Yethu school needs repairs after a large section of its roof was torn off during last week’s stormy weather.

Strong winds on the night of Wednesday July 10 ripped away metal roof sheeting and ceiling boards at Silikamva High School’s hall, according to principal Siphathisiwe Nkala-Nkohla.

Flying fragments of metal roof sheeting had also punctured one of the school’s Jojo water tanks, she said.

“As a result of the damage, we had to cancel our first assembly of the term last week and our parents’ meeting that was scheduled for last Saturday,“ she said.

The school hopes the Western Cape Education Department will repair the roof before trial matric exams start in September.

Department spokeswoman Millicent Merton said: “The damage has been reported to the department, and contractors will attend to it. More information will only be available afterwards.”

Ms Nkala-Nkohla said she did not yet know how much it would cost to repair the roof.

“The engineer is coming sometime this week, and I hope to verify the exact damages, and how much the repairs will cost,“ she said.