Parents of learners at Tyelinzima Senior Secondary in Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape are calling for urgent intervention after the school was completely destroyed by devastating floods that hit the area at the weekend.

Only ablution facilities are left of what used to be Tyelinzima school.

The concerned parents say the over 1000 enrolled learners at the school will have to go to other nearby schools as they do not have a learning facility.

One parent says, “The situation was already worse, especially when it rains. Our children’s books would get wet. The school is not properly built. The learners were studying under painful conditions.”

Another says, “This is a  school that performs very well in the matric pass rate. We ask government to look into this because we’ve knocked on every door, begging them to build us a decent school.”

OR Tambo District Municipality Spokesperson Zimkhita Macingwane has urged communities to be vigilant when crossing bridges and rivers.

The floods have claimed the lives of six people in the Coffee Bay area.

“There are 10 bridges that are totally inaccessible, so we are making way so that people are not forced to use these broken bridges and we urge members of the community to continue to be vigilant and extra cautious.”

VIDEO: Flood damages in Coffee Bay in Eastern Cape: