The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has condemned the burning down of Zwelinjani Secondary School in Durban, after pupils allegedly became enraged over poor marks they had received.
“There are claims that the fire started after chaos erupted when school reports were issued to learners who felt that the results they had obtained were not what they deserved. The learners allegedly accused teachers of giving them bad marks,” departmental spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa said Thursday.
“We appeal to the pupils not to resort to violence and crime or vandalising and destroying public property when addressing their concerns. We wish to also emphasise that we will not reward anarchy by building another school, when in fact it was destroyed deliberately,”‘ MEC Kwazi Mshengu said.
Mthethwa said “Emergency teams responded to fire at the school in Zwelibomvu, in the Pinetown District. Buildings that were destroyed by fire include the office of the school principal, the school kitchen and staff room.”
He added that no one was injured in the fire, but that the “property was destroyed badly.”
