Another school has been torched at Mareetsane Village in the North West province.
This week arsonists set six of the institution's classrooms alight in what is believed to be a politically-related incident.
Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga said on Saturday she was appalled over the incident and expressed concern over the disruption of classes and for the safety of the teachers and pupils.
Three Grade 12 and three Grade 11 classes were gutted after a mob disrupted lessons at the school on Tuesday.
“The wanton destruction of school property will not be tolerated,” said Motshekga, who also called on “law enforcement agencies to act swiftly to ensure those responsible are brought to book”.
The Humans Rights Commission recently held hearings into the effect community protests had on the right to basic education as enshrined in the constitution.
Motshekga said once the findings have been made public, she will push for laws to be introduced to make destruction and disruption of schools “a serious crime that is punishable with a severe sentence”.
“The act of destroying a school is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. Not only are these criminals damaging state property worth millions of rand, they are holding the lives of these learners to ransom and putting the future of our children in jeopardy.
“We only need to look at how the violence in Vuwani has affected learners there and it is yet to be seen if they will recover from the time and resources lost.
“We could have lawyers, doctors or engineers among these learners and now their chances of getting the marks to transform their lives could be scuppered by the selfish actions of criminals,” she said.
Motshekga called on parents and communities to protect schools “at all costs and ensure that schools are not places of protest. The community needs to work with police to identify the criminals.”
According to the schools act, no political activity should take place at schools during school hours. “As the elections draw to a close and political tensions are at a crescendo, we need to ensure schools are protected from any form of violence.”