By Johnathan Paoli
The North West Department of Education has condemned the destruction of a classroom by fire at FM Ramaboa Technical School in Itsoseng township, near Lichtenburg, describing the incident as a serious setback to ongoing efforts to improve school infrastructure in the province.
The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed, but a case of malicious damage to property has been opened with the local police, and investigations are underway.
North West MEC for Education Viola Motsumi condemned the incident, calling it a “barbaric” act.
“On behalf of the Department, I wish to condemn in the strongest terms this barbaric incident, which seeks to destroy learners’ education. I call on the South African Police Service to get to the bottom of this incident and arrest whoever is responsible. Such culprits need to be given the harshest sentence in order to show others that destroying educational assets is not the way to go,” Motsumi said.
She added that the department remains deeply concerned about recurring incidents of vandalism and arson targeting schools, particularly during school recess periods.
“As a Department, we are concerned about these incidents of damage to school assets. Every time during the school recess, we receive these types of reports at our schools. I appeal to community members to remain alert to any suspicious activity at schools and to report it to their nearest police station,” she said.
The blaze, which broke out in the early hours of Saturday, gutted one classroom in the Grade 8 block, destroying furniture, learning materials and parts of the building.
Department spokesperson Vuyo Mantshule said the department was alerted to the incident shortly after it occurred, prompting an urgent response from local authorities.
Two teachers were contacted by the school principal, who was unable to reach the scene at the time, who informed them that the school was on fire and urged them to rush over in order to assess the extent of the damage.
When the teachers arrived, police officers and fire department officials were already on site.
However, emergency responders were initially unable to access the school grounds as the gates were locked, forcing them to break the chains to gain entry.
Firefighters eventually managed to extinguish the blaze, but not before extensive damage had been caused to the classroom.
Mantshule confirmed that 48 chairs, 32 desks, a chalkboard, as well as the ceiling, classroom tiles and textbooks were destroyed in the fire.
The incident is the latest in a series of school fires reported across the province, raising alarm about the vulnerability of educational facilities and the broader impact on already strained infrastructure.
In recent years, the province has faced persistent challenges related to school infrastructure, with several facilities reported to be in poor or deteriorating condition.
Oversight visits last year revealed widespread shortcomings and indicated that only a small fraction of the province’s more than 1,400 schools are classified as being in excellent condition.
In November 2024, six classrooms were destroyed at Rauwane Sepeng Secondary School in Rustenburg during matric exams, disrupting learning and highlighting ongoing safety concerns.
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