3 June 2025
Joint statement: Blind SA and Equal Education Law Centre secure an order to secure the rights of visually impaired learners at Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind
Blind SA, represented by the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC), has obtained a significant court order in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, to protect and advance the rights of blind and partially sighted learners at Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind.
The order, which was secured by agreement between the parties directs that a curator ad litem be appointed to investigate complaints related to abuse, maltreatment, poor quality of food, hostel conditions, and school programmes at Arthur Blaxall. The curator is required to compile a detailed report and submit recommendations to the court by 30 September 2025.
This court application follows a recent appearance by Blind SA and the EELC in the North Gauteng High Court concerning conditions at the Filadelfia Secondary LSEN School hostel. Both cases arise in response to ongoing and deeply troubling reports of abuse, neglect, sexual violence, overcrowding, and exclusion of learners with disabilities in school hostels – issues consistently raised by the media, concerned parents, and members of the public.
The situation at Arthur Blaxall is not an isolated incident. It reflects a broader, systemic failure in the provision of safe and dignified hostel conditions for learners with disabilities across South Africa.
We welcome the High Court’s order as an important step toward accountability and systemic reform for learners with disabilities at school hostels. Through the appointment of an independent curator, we hope that meaningful, evidence-based recommendations will emerge to drive urgent improvements at Arthur Blaxall and beyond. Learners with disabilities deserve to access education in environments that respect and uphold their dignity and rights.
[END]For more information contact:
Jay-Dee Booysen (Equal Education Law Centre Media and Communications Specialist) jay-dee@eelawcentre.org.za or 082 924 1352
Lerato Jiyane (Blind SA Public Relations) pr@blindsa.org.za – 068 039 4857
