FOURTEEN schools have been affected by a violent windstorm that swept through parts of Eswatini yesterday morning, leaving a trail of destruction and forcing widespread disruptions in learning.
The severe weather conditions, characterised by strong, gusty winds, tore through school infrastructure in several regions, damaging classrooms, staff housing and sanitation facilities. Education authorities say assessments are still ongoing, with fears that more schools could be added to the list as reports continue to filter in.
Among the worst affected is St Paul’s Methodist Primary School, where several structures were damaged and the pre-school section was left in a critical state after its roof was completely blown off.
The school, which operates as a mission institution but has partly integrated government-supported Grade Zero classes, was forced into urgent contingency arrangements to keep early learning going.
Speaking about the damage, Chairperson of the pre-school Stella Nkosi said the storm had dealt a severe financial and developmental setback to the institution, which largely relies on school fees from a low-income community.
“This has hit us hardest, financially, especially because we are a struggling pre-school. All expenses are paid through school fees from parents, and we have had to keep fees low because our biggest goal is to serve the community,” she said.
Nkosi explained that plans to expand Grade Zero facilities had now been disrupted, as the school had intended to convert a church space into additional classrooms. Instead, the institution will now temporarily revert to using the church space already allocated to Grade Zero learners.
“We were planning to develop further, but this setback has delayed everything,” she said, appealing for public assistance to help with urgent refurbishment.
She said donors and good Samaritans could contact Reverend Ndumiso Ncombo on 7623 9467.
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The St Paul’s Methodist Primary School headteacher described a tense and distressing morning as teachers and learners arrived to extensive damage.
“We have three partially blown-off classrooms, four others that are at risk if the winds continue, and a teacher’s quarters that has also been partially damaged,” the headteacher said. “Today we experienced trauma, both teachers and learners. I contacted the regional education office immediately and was advised to assess the situation and send learners home if conditions were unsafe,” he added.
He said the school management committee would meet urgently to determine temporary learning arrangements as normal teaching had been severely affected. Elsewhere in the Manzini region, education officials confirmed that multiple schools had reported varying levels of damage.
Manzini Regional Education Officer Sizwe Kunene said the full extent of the impact was still being compiled.
“We have not yet finalised the total number of affected schools in the region, but we can confirm that several have formally reported damage,” Kunene said.
He listed some of the affected schools as Dvudvusini High, where toilets were damaged; Mphembekati, where classrooms were affected; Zombodze Primary and St Paul’s Methodist schools, among others.
“We are still receiving reports, so the list may grow,” he said, adding that assessments would be submitted to the ministry’s planning department for further guidance on recovery measures.
Meanwhile, acting Director of Education and Training Lindiwe Dlamini confirmed that the ministry was still gathering full data on the scale of the destruction.
She said some schools had been “greatly affected while others were partially impacted”, with urgent assessments underway to determine rehabilitation needs.
“There are cases where school buildings are very old, and this will require the ministry to draw from its budget, with support from Micro Projects to carry out refurbishments,” she said.
Dlamini added that learning would inevitably be disrupted in severely affected schools, but efforts would be made to minimise downtime.
As recovery efforts begin, authorities say focus is now shifting to ensuring learners return to classrooms safely, even as damage assessments continue across the country.
Some of the affected schools include:
- St Paul’s Methodist Primary
- Dvudvusini High (toilet facilities damaged)
- Mphembekati Primary (classrooms affected)
- Zombodze Primary
- Our Lady of Sorrows
- Florence Christian Academy
- Mhlanga Methodist
- Edwaleni
- Mthonjeni
- St Juliana’s
- Mgampondo
- Nhlangano Central
- New Nazareth Primary
- Maphalaleni Community Primary
