Eleven pupils who were arrested in connection with a previous fire that destroyed 11 classrooms at Riverlea Secondary School last year were given counselling and released.
This is according to the chairperson of the school governing body, Keagan Everson, who said failure to take action may have contributed to another fire breaking out at the school on Tuesday.
The fire, whose origins are still under investigation, destroyed three classrooms, a laboratory and a library.
Everson has raised serious concerns over recurring acts of vandalism and arson, blaming a lack of accountability and broader social challenges within the community.
Gauteng education MEC Lebogang Maile says his department will need about R45m to fix infrastructure damage at Riverlea Secondary School caused by fires as far back as 2007.
“The cost of repairing the damage is estimated at R45m, adding further strain to an already stretched education budget,” said Maile when he visited the school on Wednesday.
Everson said similar incidents occurred last year, when a group of around 10 to 11 boys, all minors aged between 11 and 13, were apprehended in connection with a fire.
Some of the boys were pupils at Riverlea Secondary School, while others attended a primary school in the area.
“They were taken for counselling and later released into the custody of their parents. That’s where my concern comes in. Although they are minors, there has to be consequences for their actions,” Everson said.
During the 2025 fire, Everson told Sowetan that three suspects were seen jumping over the school’s fence shortly after the fire.
He warned that the failure to take stronger action previously may have contributed to the recurrence of similar incidents.
“I mentioned last year that if we don’t take drastic measures, we might find ourselves in the same situation again, and that’s exactly where we are now.”
According to Everson, preliminary reports and eyewitness accounts suggest that some of the same learners had been seen vandalising school property even before the latest fire.
“We’ve had incidents just before the Easter break where learners were caught damaging infrastructure. That information has been handed over to SAPS, and investigations are ongoing.”
While the exact motive remains unclear, Everson says factors such as gangsterism, substance abuse and social instability in the community cannot be ignored.
“The community we live in is riddled with drugs, gangsterism and substance abuse. It makes intervention very difficult. We need social programmes, mentorship, and alternative opportunities for these children.”
Everson also mentioned that seven classes are currently operating in the hall at the same time, forcing teachers to compete for attention and limiting meaningful engagement with learners.
“To try and manage the situation, the school is reorganising available rooms, merging smaller classes and prioritising the relocation of grade 9 learners back into classrooms first, while grade 8 learners may continue with a temporary ‘mass teaching’ approach in the hall,” he explained.
He said this will last for two weeks and the school will go back to normal.
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