Eighteen pupils of Mavalani Secondary School in Giyani were arrested last Friday, following a protest at the school.

This came after pupils accused the principal of the school of conniving with the media. The protest follows last week´s report by a national daily newspaper that 57 pupils at the school are pregnant.

It was reported that mothers of pregnant pupils gathered outside the school every day to take care of the pregnant pupils and to be on a standby, in case their children went in to labour.

The 18 pupils who were arrested appeared in the Giyani Magistrate´s Court on Monday and were released. They are expected to appear in court again on February 18. Giyani police spokesperson WO Thomas Makhuvele confirmed the incident.

School governing body chairperson Mr Hlengani Mkhasi said the parents were not happy about the arrested pupils, because all the pupils who were arrested were not the ones who started with the rampage, and those who started the rampage were not arrested. "We are planning to interact with the police in order for them to withdraw the charges against the pupils, so that all lessons resume without any hiccups as early as possible,” he said.