Cable theft suspected to have sparked Riverlea school blaze

Suspected cable theft is believed to have sparked the fire that destroyed 11 classrooms at Riverlea High School in western Johannesburg on Sunday evening.

This is according to the school governing body (SGB) and residents living near the school. 

The classes accommodated 230 pupils.

Police arrived at the scene around noon on Monday and cordoned off the area. Gauteng police spokesperson Capt Tintswalo Sibeko confirmed that an inquiry has been opened to determine the cause of the fire.

According to Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Xolile Khumalo, firefighters responded to the fire at about 6pm on Sunday. “Eleven [classes] were completely gutted by fire. The classes that caught fire are located in the old building; from the 11 classes that caught fire, only four were being used by learners,” he said.

Eleven [classes] were completely gutted by fire. The classes that caught fire are located in the old building; from the 11 classes that caught fire, only four were being used by learners

Speaking to Sowetan yesterday, SGB deputy chairperson Keagon Everson said three suspects were seen jumping over the school's fence shortly after the fire.

“About 6pm, I received a call from community members who said there was fire at the school. I called the [SGB] chairperson, who then sent his nephew to see the extent of the fire, and we called other community members to help and extinguish the fire.

“At this stage, we don't have a clue of who might have started the fire, however, the young man who first arrived the scene saw three men jumping over the fence shortly before the inferno,” he said.

Everson said over the past years, the school has been attacked several times, with criminals often stealing electric cables.

“There has been a trend of cable theft because they [thieves] know that on weekends, we have insufficient security and the school is vulnerable. They have stolen cables and security cameras [before]. In January, they stole cables and about two years ago, they stole cameras. So, it is clear that we need to beef up security,” he said.

Zunaiyed Toban, who lives close to the school, said they have not had electricity for three days due to cable theft.

“They [criminals] always steal cables in our area. I once pounced on criminals in the early morning while they were trying to steal cables. They steal, and shortly after City Power has fixed the cables, they come back again. We don't know what happened at the school, but we think they wanted to steal cables,” he said. 

Gauteng department of education spokesperson Steve Mabona said they will assist the school with security and that they are making arrangements so that schooling is not disturbed when pupils return next week due to the fire.

“The department is working urgently to ensure that learning continues with minimal disruption when schooling resumes on May 5.

“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,” said Mabona.

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