Pretoria - Protesters burnt parts of the Greenhill GB Primary School in Olievenhoutbosch to ashes on Friday.
They took out their anger and frustration on the school after they were threatened with forceful removal from land they illegally invaded and built shacks on.
The Pretoria News was informed that an unidentified owner approached the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, to obtain an eviction order against the illegal land occupiers.
For the better part of last week rumours circulated among the community that they were on the verge of being removed from the land.
In retaliation, they protested on Thursday and Friday, torching a block which stored groceries, learners’ uniforms, fridges and stationery.
They also broke into a classroom and stole computers.
Principal Jackson Ssemambo said the teachers and learners were not present at the time. But, he said, they were traumatised upon receiving news that their school had been attacked by an angry mob.
“Our 37 staff members and (630 learners) are very traumatised. They heard part of the news through the media. As the principal I had to communicate
all the news to them so that I don’t cause panic, but they don’t know what is going to happen next,” Ssemambo said.
The front gate to the school and fence were smashed and the power supply from Eskom cut off, Ssemambo said.
Hostility towards the school started in September last year when the people moved into the area to build shacks around the school, he said.
“At one point they were evicted. It was mainly concentrated around the school and it sent a message that maybe the school had an involvement in the eviction, which was not the case,” Ssemambo said.
The situation, he said, escalated in December when more settlers erected shacks on a large scale. Part of the land illegally occupied was used by the school for extramural activities.
Ssemambo said: “In January before the school opened the situation continued. It was very tense and as the school management we have been getting information as to how tense it is. We had ignored it and we decided to continue with our academic duties.”
Two weeks ago, there were reports that the situation might deteriorate.
“We looked at the credibility of the reports and decided that by this week (last week) on Tuesday we should stop the academic programme for the whole school,” Ssemambo said.
Teachers and learners were, therefore, not present when the school was stormed on Friday.
Ssemambo said the school wanted lessons to resume on Wednesday, but he was worried about the lack of electricity, which disabled the surveillance cameras.
The school used pump water, which needed electricity or a generator.
“The most important thing now is water because we don’t have a generator that can pump water for children to use the toilets and for drinking,” he said.
He said threats against the school were previously reported to the SAPS, who didn’t do enough to prevent them.
Community leader William Peta, an EFF member, said the party and the people identified the land, which “looked beautiful and created by God”, for occupation. Speaking to the Pretoria News from a shack office, Peta denied that the people who vandalised the school were part of the protest.
“The burning of the school was not part of the march. When I arrived here in the morning (on Friday) I heard there was a break-in at the school,” he said.
The EFF was surprised that the eviction order was obtained at a high court in Johannesburg for a matter that is taking place in Tshwane, he added.
According to him, the court order should have been granted by the High Court in Pretoria.
He said residents, estimated to be more than 10 000, were mobilised to contribute R150 each towards a legal challenge against the court order.
Pretoria News