By Mapaballo Borotho
- A fire at Riverlea Secondary School has brought teaching and learning to a halt at the start of the second term.
- The blaze destroyed classrooms, textbooks, and learning materials, affecting learners the most.
- This is the second fire at the school in a year, raising concerns about possible underlying causes.
As learners and teachers return for the second term of the 2026 academic year, teaching and learning have come to a standstill at Riverlea Secondary School following a blaze that ravaged the institution.
The devastating fire occurred on Tuesday, 7 April 2026, destroying an entire classroom block at the school.
The blaze has destroyed several textbooks and other learning materials, leaving at least five classrooms destroyed.
This incident comes a year after another fire incident broke out at the same school last year, 6 days before the resumption of the second term.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, as Emergency Services deal with the aftermath of the blaze.
One of the educators at the school told Kaya News that the long-lasting impacts of the fire within the school premises will be felt the most by learners.
Teacher Naidoo says they are concerned, as teachers and as a community, that this may be linked to gangsterism or even learners who do not want to attend school.
Newly appointed Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile is expected to visit the school for an inspection on Wednesday, 08 April 2026.
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