Maile condemns burning of school furniture at overcrowded Eastbank High

Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile has condemned the burning of school furniture and disruption of teaching at Eastbank High School in Alexandra.

He said the destruction of scarce resources cannot be justified.

Four desks and two chairs were destroyed in a fire on the school premises on Tuesday, 11 August.

The Gauteng department of education said a case of malicious property damage has been opened at the Alexandra police station. The school will also institute disciplinary proceedings against pupils identified in connection with the incident.

“We are deeply disappointed and disturbed by what happened at Eastbank High School. There is absolutely no excuse for burning education infrastructure, learning materials or furniture,” Maile said.

School faces severe capacity pressures

The incident comes as Eastbank High grapples with overcrowding and shortages of classroom furniture.

The school was built to accommodate about 1 200 pupils. But it currently has 2 063 pupils – 863 above capacity.

The department said this amounts to the school accommodating about 72% more pupils than the infrastructure was designed to handle.

Eastbank High has reported a shortage of about 1 200 desks and 600 chairs.

The department said it had already delivered 1 000 chairs and 150 desks to the school during 2026. Despite the delivery of 1 150 pieces of furniture, significant shortages remain.

Maile said the destruction of even one desk or chair was unacceptable, given the pressure on the school.

“When a school tells us it needs another 1 200 desks and approximately 600 chairs, burning four desks and two chairs cannot be dismissed as an insignificant act,” he said.

Department disputes maintenance claims

The department also addressed reports that furniture was burned because pupils were cold due to broken classroom windows.

It said all windows at the school had been repaired the previous year. Eastbank High started the 2026 academic year without broken windows.

However, the school has since reported that about 60 windows now require repairs following recent pupil damage.

The department said extensive repairs to doors were also completed about three months ago. However, eight doors currently need further repairs.

“We started the academic year with the windows repaired. Today, we are again confronted with approximately 60 windows requiring attention,” Maile said.

He warned that repeated vandalism was placing additional pressure on the province’s limited education budget.

MEC calls for accountability

Maile called on School Governing Bodies (SGBs) to strengthen financial management and prioritise routine maintenance that falls within their responsibilities.

The department said funds spent repeatedly replacing damaged windows, doors, desks and chairs could instead be directed towards other educational priorities.

“We cannot have schools struggling indefinitely with simple maintenance matters where resources and responsibilities exist at the school level,” Maile said.

He also condemned the disruption of teaching and learning, stressing that pupils have a constitutional right to basic education.

The department said it would continue working with the school and SGB to address furniture shortages. In addition, they will tackle maintenance challenges and capacity pressures.

It will also cooperate with the police over the malicious damage to property case. Furthermore, it will support disciplinary proceedings against pupils implicated in the incident.

The department said counselling and support structures had been activated following the death of a popular teacher.

Maile extended his condolences to the teacher’s family, colleagues and the wider school community. However, he said grief could not justify vandalism.

“We understand that pupils are grieving. We understand the pain associated with losing a teacher who played such an important role in their lives. We will support them through that grief. But grief cannot become a licence to destroy,” he said.