Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube opened the new Humansdorp Primary School in Boskloof on Friday 30 October. She praised the public-private partnership as a model for tackling school infrastructure backlogs.

The school sits on Erf 3298, just off the R102 in Boskloof. Three partners handed over the facility. They are the Kouga Wind Farm Community Development Trust, the Eastern Cape Department of Education and Kouga Local Municipality.

The 8.5-hectare campus features an Education Block and an Administration and Grade R Block. It also has a hall, a cafeteria and sports fields.

“Addressing our national infrastructure challenges requires active, innovative partnerships. Handing over a modern facility like Humansdorp Primary School proves what can be achieved when government and community development trusts pool resources to unlock the full potential of our learners from foundational levels upward,” Gwarube said.

The fee-paying, English-medium public school offers Grade R to Grade 7. It delivers the national CAPS curriculum through an Afrocentric value structure and Project-Based Learning. The school places a special focus on Coding and Robotics.

Why the school was built

No one had built a new primary school in Humansdorp in more than 30 years. Existing schools could accommodate about 650 learners each. But population growth and learners from surrounding farms pushed enrolment well beyond capacity. One school in the circuit had about 1 300 learners. The trust called this a learning and health hazard.

The shareholders of the Kouga Wind Farm established the Kouga Wind Farm Community Development Trust. The wind farm is a renewable energy project in Oyster Bay. The trust holds a 26% stake in the wind farm. It invests in education, enterprise development and healthcare in beneficiary communities. The trust has invested more than R165 million in education over four years. This includes the construction of Humansdorp Primary School.

A school built for the future

The facility includes classrooms, a library and a science laboratory. It also has a computer laboratory and a dedicated coding and robotics laboratory. The Grade R classroom strengthens the transition into formal schooling. It helps establish good learning habits from an early age.

The trust has a track record of investing in school infrastructure in the Kouga region. It has constructed 33 classrooms across eight local schools. It has built classrooms and ablution facilities at Mzingisi and Graslaagte Primary. It has also handed over minibuses and combi courts at three primary schools. Its coding and robotics programme has reached more than 1 800 learners across six schools.

The school first welcomed learners in January 2026. It operated from a temporary site in Fountains Estate, Jeffreys Bay. Construction continued at the permanent Boskloof campus in the meantime.

From temporary site to permanent home

The trust’s board approved the project in principle in 2023. The Department of Education had asked the trust to fund a new primary school. Kouga Express first reported the project in 2025. Site clearance began in July that year. Construction started in September.

Local residents welcomed the school. Sindiswa Witbooi, who has a granddaughter in the area, said classes of 40 to 50 learners were common. Xolani Woni, a parent of three, said overcrowding left children without enough individual attention. He said this could contribute to behavioural problems.

Minister: “the real impact will be measured in learners”

Gwarube said the school’s true value would emerge when a Grade R learner walks through the gates. “They learn to solve a difficult maths problem, discover a talent in the science laboratory, or find the confidence to pursue a dream,” she said. “That is when the real impact of this investment will be measured.”

Eastern Cape MEC for Education Fundile Gade attended the handover ceremony. Kouga Executive Mayor Hattingh Bornman also attended. Trust chairperson Dr Motlalepule Nathane-Taulela and general manager Prince Matonsi joined them.

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