Riverlea Secondary School in Gauteng has once again been struck by fire, an incident described by Gauteng MEC for Education and Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, as “unjustifiable” and criminal.
The fire occurred on Tuesday night and reportedly affected 320 learners.
Maile conducted an on-site walkabout at the school on Wednesday to assess the damage. Grade 8 and 9 learners are currently being accommodated in the school hall, while older learners in Grades 10 to 12 remain in their classrooms.
The school is working with the District Office to put interim arrangements in place.
“The learners are affected and these are learners who are in grades 8 and 9. Then learners in grades 10, 11, and 12 are in their classes, not affected at all. There can be no justification, there can be no justification to burn a school. So it doesn’t matter how angry people can be,” said Maile during his visit.
“We can’t and we must never try to make it appear like it’s a prison, enough to do something like this. Why not burn a tavern? Go and burn a tavern, don’t burn a school. So exactly, go and burn drug houses and all that, not a school. So there cannot be any reason, justifiable reason. It’s criminal, it’s unacceptable, it has to be condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
Maile also highlighted the strong community involvement in addressing the issue. “Of course, we met the chair of the governing body. You know, the other good thing is that you’ve got parents who are 18. I mean last night he was here in the evening, around 10. I saw him talking on TV about what’s happening here and what they’re doing, as the school governing body as parents. Bishop Adams, apart from being a member of the legislature, is also a bishop and he’s also a community activist in this community. So we’ve got a lot of people in the community. We’ve got the chair of the CPF, he’s here.”
“We’ve got a lot of community involvement and activism. But there are those few, and there are a few elements. And that’s why I’m saying we must isolate them, identify them, and deal with them decisively. So there cannot be any reason. And I would not even ask for a reason.”
This is not the first incident at Riverlea Secondary School, highlighting ongoing concerns about school safety and the need for decisive action to protect learners and staff.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, as the incident coincides with the start of the second term of the 2026 academic calendar.
Saturday Star