Gauteng police have launched an investigation into the fire that destroyed 11 classrooms at the Riverlea High School in Randburg on Sunday evening.According to the police preliminary investigations, the fire started at around 18:00 in an unused classroom and rapidly spread, resulting in the destruction of an entire block comprising of 11 classrooms. The spokesperson of the Gauteng Department of Education, Steve Mabona, condemned the incident.
“These 11 classrooms have been completely burnt down along with their furniture.Of the affected classrooms, four of them were actively being used by Grade 8 learners, while the remainder were unoccupied. Furthermore, the entire boys’ toilet block was destroyed in the fire, which will affect all boy learners at the school,” said Mabona.
Mabona highlighted that the department experience a lot of break-ins during the school holidays, adding that some members indicated that they saw people in and around the school.
In addition, Mabona said the department is working urgently to ensure that learning continues with minimal disruption when schooling resumes on Monday, 5 May 2025.
“A temporary plan has been put in place to use the school hall for affected learners while arrangements are being finalised for the delivery of four mobile classrooms, fully furnished, to replace the lost classrooms. Fortunately, the rest of the school’s infrastructure remains intact and operations for other grades will continue without significant challenges. Approximately 230 learners are directly impacted by the aftermath of this fire, and every effort is being made to normalise the situation swiftly,” explained Mabona.
Meanwhile, Education MEC Matome Chiloane has also condemned the incident, describing it as an attack on the future of the country.
“Acts of this nature must be treated with the utmost seriousness.We appeal to anyone who may have information about this incident to assist law enforcement in their investigations. We remain committed to supporting the Riverlea High School community and will provide further updates as the situation develops,” remarked the Chiloane.
