Seven pupils arrested after Alexandra school fire incident

Seven pupils have been arrested after school furniture was set alight at East Bank High School in Alexandra, Johannesburg, amid a wider Gauteng crackdown on crime at schools.

Arrests follow furniture fire at East Bank High

The arrests were confirmed during an SAPS-led school search operation in Alexandra on Wednesday, 19 August, with Gauteng Community Safety head of department Roche Mogorosi confirming that seven learners had been taken into custody, according to The Citizen.

The furniture was set alight at East Bank High on 11 August. Four desks and two chairs were destroyed in the fire, according to eNCA.

The Gauteng Department of Education previously confirmed that a case of malicious damage to property had been opened at Alexandra Police Station. Disciplinary proceedings were also expected against learners linked to the incident.

The incident has drawn attention to conditions at the school, which was designed for about 1 200 learners and currently accommodates 2 063. The school also faces shortages of about 1 200 desks and 600 chairs.

The arrests came as Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile joined police in Alexandra for a school safety operation. Officers seized items including knives, suspected drugs, vapes and a blank bullet during searches at schools in the area. The investigation into the fire remains ongoing.