The Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga is extremely disappointed to receive reports that once again school infrastructure has been destroyed, this time in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.

Eight classrooms and the Administration block of the Lamulelani High School were touched during Saturday night (25th March).

The criminals took tools, food and other valuable items before setting the buildings alight. The damage was only discovered the following morning by community members grazing their cattle as the location of the school is secluded from any residential homes.

“This type of behavior by members within our communities cannot be allowed to continue,” said Minister Motshekga.

“These types of outrageous acts of criminality cannot be tolerated as they set us back by years in terms of infrastructure delivery and planning. What people do not seem to register when they destroy schools is that children will be denied access to a quality education based on these actions. It has the potential to hold back a generation of young people from accessing quality education services, and from reaching their full potential. I cannot stress enough how these selfish acts of vandalism which can be carried out over night have a lasting and devastating consequence.

As Government we have taken a decision that schools that are destroyed through vandalism will not be priotised at the expense of schools that are already on planning lists to be built, and sadly as a result it is the children of the very communities who burn schools who ultimately suffer,” said Motshekga.

The burning of this school follows disruptions of schooling in the Bushbuckridge area by community members who are demanding the immediate construction of a tarred road. It is suspected that the burning of this school and the community protest could be linked, however police are still investigating. The police are requesting community members with any information to come forward.

The Minister of Basic Education condemns the deliberate destruction of educational property in the strongest possible terms and will be approaching law makers to strengthen penalties when is comes to destruction of school infrastructure.

Issued by Department of Higher Education and Training