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Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile, visited Riverlea Secondary School following yesterday’s devastating fire incident, which destroyed an entire classroom block at the school.
Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile says it will cost about R45 million to repair Riverlea Secondary School in Johannesburg following a fire that broke out last night.
A library, two storerooms and a science lab were damaged in what is suspected to be an arson attack.
This is the second fire at the school after a similar incident last year.
Maile says about 320 learners in Grades 8 and 9 have been affected, while learners in higher grades have not been impacted.
“320 learners are affected, and these are learners who are in grades eight and nine. The learners in grades 10, 11, and 12 are in their classes, not affected at all. There can be no justification for burning a school. Why not burn a tavern? Burn drug houses, not a school. So there cannot be a justifiable reason; it’s criminal, it has to be condemned in the most possible terms,” said Maile.
He has condemned the incident and called on the community to assist authorities in identifying those responsible.
Video | Fire destroyed parts of Riverlea Secondary School
Gauteng Education MEC, @LebogangMaile1, today visited Riverlea Secondary School following yesterday’s devastating fire incident, which destroyed an entire classroom block at the school.#GrowingGautengTogether pic.twitter.com/wvVYeksy66
— Gauteng Department of Education (@EducationGP1) April 8, 2026
We visited Riverlea Secondary School following yesterday’s devastating fire which destroyed an entire classroom block, to assess the extent of the structural damage alongside colleagues.
We further engaged with school management on the immediate interventions required to support… pic.twitter.com/CMqKO9Adk7
— Lebogang Maile (@LebogangMaile1) April 8, 2026
