Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile has strongly condemned the burning of school furniture and the disruption of teaching and learning at Eastbank High School in Alexandra, warning that acts of vandalism are placing additional strain on an already overburdened education system.
His comments follow an incident on Tuesday in which four desks and two chairs were set alight and destroyed at the school. Police from the Alexandra Police Station have opened a case of malicious damage to property, while the school is expected to institute disciplinary proceedings against learners allegedly linked to the incident.
“We cannot complain about shortages today and destroy the very same scarce resources tomorrow,” Maile said.
School faces severe overcrowding and furniture shortages
The MEC said the incident was particularly troubling because Eastbank High School is already grappling with significant infrastructure and furniture shortages.
Designed to accommodate approximately 1,200 learners, the school currently serves more than 2,000 pupils, placing immense pressure on available resources.
According to the Gauteng Department of Education, the school faces a shortage of around 1,200 desks and 600 chairs. Although the department delivered 1,000 chairs and 150 desks during 2026, considerable shortages remain.
“This means it is accommodating 863 learners above its intended capacity, or approximately 72% more learners than the infrastructure was designed to accommodate,” Maile said.
He stressed that the destruction of even a single desk or chair cannot be treated as insignificant under such circumstances.
Claims about broken windows rejected
Maile also dismissed reports suggesting that the furniture was burned because learners were cold due to broken classroom windows.
The department said all windows at the school had been repaired during the previous year and that the school started 2026 without any broken windows. However, approximately 60 windows now require repairs after allegedly being damaged by learners.
Similarly, doors repaired by the department about three months ago have once again been reported as damaged, with eight requiring further repairs.
Vandalism draining limited education resources
The MEC warned that repeated acts of vandalism are creating a costly cycle where public funds are repeatedly used to repair infrastructure that has already been restored.
“We cannot have schools struggling indefinitely with simple maintenance matters where resources and responsibilities exist at school level,” he said.
Maile called on School Governing Bodies (SGBs) to ensure maintenance budgets are properly managed and prioritised.
He noted that Gauteng’s education budget must stretch across a wide range of responsibilities, including educator salaries, learning materials, school nutrition programmes, scholar transport, infrastructure development, maintenance and furniture provision.
“In a fiscally constrained environment, every rand spent replacing destroyed furniture is a rand taken away from other pressing educational needs,” he said.
No grievance justifies disrupting education
Maile also condemned the interruption of teaching and learning, saying every learner’s constitutional right to basic education must be protected.
The department expressed concern over what the MEC described as a growing culture of hooliganism, where school property is damaged as a form of protest or expression of dissatisfaction.
“No grievance gives anyone the right to burn a desk, destroy a chair, break a window, damage a classroom, destroy learning materials or interfere with another learner’s education,” he said.
School community mourning beloved educator
The incident comes at a difficult time for the Eastbank High School community, which is mourning the death of a respected educator who provided both academic and social support to learners. The educator was also actively involved in coaching rugby and cricket and offered counselling and mentorship to students.
The department has activated counselling and support services for learners and staff affected by the loss.
While extending his condolences to the educator’s family, colleagues and learners, Maile stressed that grief could not be used to justify the destruction of school property.
“We understand that learners are grieving. We understand the pain associated with losing an educator 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.
Call to protect schools and learning spaces
The Gauteng Department of Education said it would continue working with the school and its governing body to address immediate furniture shortages, maintenance challenges and overcrowding.
Maile urged parents, learners, educators, governing bodies and the wider community to protect public education infrastructure.
“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,” he said.
The MEC emphasised that while government would continue addressing challenges within its mandate, communities also have a responsibility to safeguard school resources.
“We must end this culture of hooliganism. 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,” he concluded.
- Four desks and two chairs were set on fire at Eastbank High School, prompting a police case of malicious damage to property and expected disciplinary actions against implicated learners.
- Eastbank High School is overcrowded with over 2,000 learners, exceeding its capacity of 1,200, and faces shortages of approximately 1,200 desks and 600 chairs despite recent deliveries.
- The Gauteng Department of Education refuted claims that furniture was burned due to broken windows, stating all were repaired last year, although about 60 windows and several doors have recently been damaged and need repairs.
- MEC Lebogang Maile condemned vandalism and disruption of teaching, emphasizing that destruction of school property diverts funds from other educational needs and that no grievance justifies damaging school resources.
- The school community is mourning a respected educator’s death, with counselling services activated, but Maile stressed grief does not justify property destruction and called for protecting school infrastructure.
His comments follow an incident on Tuesday in which four desks and two chairs were set alight and destroyed at the school. Police from the
"We cannot complain about shortages today and destroy the very same scarce resources tomorrow," Maile said.
Designed to accommodate approximately 1,200 learners, the school currently serves more than 2,000 pupils, placing immense pressure on available resources.
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He stressed that the destruction of even a single desk or chair cannot be treated as insignificant under such circumstances.
Maile also dismissed reports suggesting that the furniture was burned because learners were cold due to broken classroom windows.
Similarly, doors repaired by the department about three months ago have once again been reported as damaged, with eight requiring further repairs.
"We cannot have schools struggling indefinitely with simple maintenance matters where resources and responsibilities exist at school level," he said.
Maile called on School
He noted that
"In a fiscally constrained environment, every rand spent replacing destroyed furniture is a rand taken away from other pressing educational needs," he said.
Maile also condemned the interruption of teaching and learning, saying every learner's constitutional right to basic education must be protected.
"No grievance gives anyone the right to burn a desk, destroy a chair, break a window, damage a classroom, destroy learning materials or interfere with another learner's education," he said.
While extending his condolences to the educator's family, colleagues and learners, Maile stressed that grief could not be used to justify the destruction of school property.
"We understand that learners are grieving. We understand the pain associated with losing an educator 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.
Maile urged parents, learners, educators, governing bodies and the wider community to protect public education infrastructure.
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"We must end this culture of hooliganism.
