Premier Ebrahim Rasool officially opened the new Usasazo Secondary School in Khayelitsha this morning (Thursday, 2 September 2004).

"Usasazo" means "dispersal" or "scattering" in isiXhosa, which aptly describes the history of this particular school community over the past few years.

Their wanderings have included using available school premises in Maitland, which cost the Western Cape Education Department about R3.4 million a year in transport costs to and from Khayelitsha.

For nearly 10 years now, this particular school community has been in search of a permanent home. Usasazo is now finally "coming home" to permanent premises in Bangiso Drive, Khayelitsha.

This is an appropriate time to open this school officially, as we seek every opportunity to provide a "home for all" in this province, including a "learning home for all" in our schools.

The completion of the school has been one of 20 "deposits" identified by the Premier for delivery within the first 100 days of office of the new provincial government of the Western Cape.

The story of Usasazo starts many years ago, with the lack of schools provided by the former Department of Education and Training, and increased migration from the Eastern Cape following the repeal of the Group Areas Act and Influx Control regulations, and the dawn of our new democracy in 1994.

In January 1995, the Khayelitsha Education Forum (KEF), found that there was no accommodation for about 7 000 learners in Khayelitsha and approached the MEC at the time and the department for assistance.

The KEF and the new WCED looked at various options. The KEF also approached the Premier at the time, Hernus Kriel, who helped to arrange premises in Ruiterwacht.

Members of the local community in Ruiterwacht staged notorious demonstrations against accommodating the children in the suburb and it became clear that the department and the KEF would have to seek other solutions.

Options included accommodating the learners in a Telkom training centre in Belhar. In the end, the KEF negotiated with the Maitland community to use an underutilised school in the suburb.

The community of Maitland supported the proposal and agreed to merge two schools already serving the community, and to make one of the schools available to learners from Khayelitsha.

About 1 500 learners then moved from Ruiterwacht to Maitland to form what is now known as Usasazo Secondary School.

The department made arrangements to accommodate the remaining learners in three other schools - Vuyiseka, Esangweni and Belhar secondary schools. Belhar Secondary later changed its name to Harry Gwala Secondary.

The WCED and the KEF formed a panel to interview teachers for appointment at all four schools. The first principal of Usasazo, Mr Kgati, is still principal of the school today.

While the creation of Usasazo addressed an immediate problem, it could not provide a permanent solution, given the costs involved in transporting learners every day to and from Khayelitsha, and the inconvenience experienced by the learners.

The Cape Town Municipality identified land for a new school in Khayelitsha as part of a programme to relocate families living in an informal settlement on the school site to the Kuyasa area.

It took some time to make the necessary arrangements, and the Department of Public Works and Transport eventually handed the site to the contractor on 30 January 2002.

The contractors completed the building work in August 2004. The cost of the project is R10.7 million.

The learners are not moving into the premises immediately, to avoid disrupting "mock matric" examinations, which end on 17 September. In the meantime, the contractor will rectify any defects found in the building and ensure that the site is ready for the learners when the school moves in during the weekend of 17 to 19 September.