Gauteng MEC Condemns Burning of School Furniture at Eastbank High
“There is absolutely no excuse for burning education infrastructure. Every desk and every chair matters, particularly in a school already under pressure,” Maile said.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, has condemned the burning of desks and chairs at Eastbank High School in Alexandra on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, calling the incident “deeply disappointing and unacceptable.”
Four desks and two chairs were destroyed, prompting a malicious damage to property case at Alexandra SAPS. Learners identified will face disciplinary action.
Maile stressed that the destruction of scarce resources worsens the severe capacity pressures at Eastbank High, which accommodates 2,063 learners in facilities built for 1,200. The school already faces shortages of 1,200 desks and 600 chairs, despite recent deliveries.
“There is absolutely no excuse for burning education infrastructure. Every desk and every chair matters, particularly in a school already under pressure,” Maile said.
The MEC also rejected claims that furniture was burned due to cold classrooms, noting that windows and doors had been repaired but were repeatedly damaged by learners. He warned that vandalism diverts limited funds from other urgent priorities such as scholar transport, nutrition and teaching materials.
Maile urged School Governing Bodies, parents, learners and communities to protect education infrastructure and uphold learners’ constitutional right to basic education.
“We need society to stand together against the vandalism of schools. These schools belong to our children and our communities. When you burn a desk, you are taking a desk away from a child. When you break a window, you are exposing a child to the cold. When you destroy a classroom, you are destroying an environment built for learning. And when you disrupt a school, you are interfering with a child’s constitutionally protected right to education,” said MEC Maile.
The Department will continue working with the school leadership and SGB to address the immediate furniture requirements, maintenance challenges and severe capacity pressures at Eastbank High School.
It will also cooperate with SAPS in relation to the malicious damage to property case and ensure that the school’s disciplinary processes proceed against learners implicated in the incident, Maile said.
“We must end this culture of hooliganism. We will acknowledge our shortcomings and fix what government is responsible for fixing. We expect SGBs to fulfil their responsibilities. But we equally expect learners, parents and communities to protect what belongs to them.
“There is no excuse for burning education infrastructure, learning materials or furniture, and there can never be justification for denying children their opportunity to learn”.
©Higher Education Media Services.