CAPE TOWN – An independent school in Ottery is showing resilience in the face of zoning disputes with the City of Cape Town, as its leadership, parents and broader community rally to keep the institution operational.
Otters Creek Junior School (OCJS), which has been operating for the past eight years as an inclusive school catering to learners with special needs, including autism and ADHD, has faced the threat of closure since last year.
Zoning dispute continues
The school has been instructed to cease operations due to non-compliance with municipal planning regulations.
The school operates from a property at 11 Serissa Street, zoned as Single Residential Zone 1, which does not permit use as a place of instruction.
The school caters for infants, pre-primary and learners up to Grade 7, on different sites. Despite these challenges, the school community has taken proactive steps to ensure learning continues this year.
Community steps up
However, on Friday 17 April, the school celebrated the purchase of land at the NG Gemeente Ottery church, which is located next door to the school, with a ribbon cutting, says school principal Yumna Allie.
Allie says the school has worked closely with the City in an effort to comply with land-use requirements while minimising disruption to learners.
“We have come together with one shared goal: to ensure that learning continues, no matter the challenges we face,” she says.
As part of interim measures, the school has reduced the number of learners on its current premises while seeking the necessary approvals.
A partnership with the neighbouring church has also provided relief, with the church hall being converted into four classrooms, along with a kitchen and staff room.
School adapts operations
The majority of learners have been relocated to this space, which is already zoned for community use.
In addition, the school has moved activities away from shared boundaries to reduce the impact on neighbours and has acquired adjacent land from the church.
Plans are in place to develop the space into facilities for sport, play and parking, further supporting the school’s long-term sustainability.
However, the City maintains that the school remains unauthorised.
Spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo confirmed that no new land-use application has been submitted following the refusal of a previous application last year.
“The activity is continuing from Erf 1302, 11 Serissa Street, Ottery and therefore remains unauthorised,” he said.
The dispute follows years of attempts by the school to obtain compliance.
Allie explains that efforts to secure consent use date back to 2017, when she first purchased the property.
Challenges, including missing building plans and delays in the rezoning process, hindered progress.
A subsequent rezoning application, managed by a professional planner, was ultimately unsuccessful, including an appeal.
The City has emphasised that it must enforce planning by-laws to ensure lawful and safe development.
Hope for resolution
Mayco member for spatial planning and environment Eddie Andrews previously stated that while the City has empathy for affected families, it must apply regulations fairly and guide applicants through the correct legal channels.
Last year the school’s troubles caused distress among parents, many of whom rely on the school for specialised education.
The Western Cape Education Department confirmed that the matter relates to municipal zoning and that the department is not responsible for closing the independent school.
While the future of the school seems uncertain, Allie remains positive and says they are preparing a new consent-use or rezoning application and remain hopeful that engagement with the City will lead to a resolution.
“This journey has tested us, but it has also reminded us why we exist – touching the hearts of those we teach,” she says.
For now, the school continues to operate while pursuing compliance, supported by a determined community committed to preserving a space that many families say is vital to their children’s development.
READ ALSO: Families plead for Otters Creek Junior School’s survival amid zoning battle with City
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