Authorities in South Africa have opened an arson investigation following a destructive fire at Riverlea Secondary School in Johannesburg.
Gauteng police said the blaze, which erupted on Saturday evening, engulfed 11 classrooms before firefighters were able to extinguish it.
Police spokesperson Mavela Masondo confirmed the ongoing investigation, saying forensic detectives have been deployed to investigate the incident.
"We condemn this senseless act of destruction in the strongest possible terms. An attack on a school is an attack on the future of our country, and acts of this nature must be treated with the utmost seriousness," police said.
There were no injuries reported, and the police have appealed for information from the public.
The victims, including 12 children, were trapped as flames surged through the floors and overwhelmed the building.
The Gauteng Department of Education says it is working on minimising disruption to learning by providing mobile classrooms to help students from the affected school resume on Monday, 5 May 2025.
