PIETERMARITZBURG - Examinations have been disrupted for hundreds of pupils in Pietermaritzburg after the Mpolweni Secondary School was broken into and torched.
Police have arrested four suspects aged between 18 and 19 for the attack that is estimated to cost millions.
Intruders broke in, vandalised Mpolweni Secondary and stole property including CCTV cameras, before setting classrooms alight.
By the time firefights arrived, classrooms, and the furniture and workbooks inside, had been destroyed.
Matric pupils are using the school hall for their final exams but about 400 pupils in lower grades have been affected.
The Department of Education in the province has condemned the attack.
KZN Education Department Mlungisi Mtshali said, "It does not affect the matric exams but as you know we do run internal exams from grade 8,9, 10 to 11. So those grades have been affected but we are implementing now contingency plans. We are using neighbouring schools, and we are staggering the timetable so that we can accommodate this disruption.”
Within hours, police arrested four teenagers, who residents say were former pupils but this incident highlights the vulnerability of schools.
The KZN education department spends 3-billion-rand over three years providing security for schools, but this has not kept brazen criminals at bay.
Prior to the arson attack, Mpolweni Secondary had been broken into several times, with 95 laptops among items stolen in the past year.
As the school picks up the pieces, local leaders are expected to hold a community meeting this weekend to talk about ways to stop crime.
The education department says it will focus on ensuring the school is repaired before the start of the new academic year in January.