Five people were reported to have been injured by rubber bullets after police are said to have opened fire on a crowd of protestors at the Roodepoort Primary School on Tuesday morning.

This comes on the heels of the Gauteng education department announcing that it would temporarily close the school due to ongoing disruptions which have negatively affected the completion of the curriculum for pupils.

The school’s routine has been disrupted by violent protests over the appointment of its principal‚ Nomathemba Molefe‚ and her deputies.

On Tuesday morning‚ ER24 reported that its paramedics “arrived on the scene and found a number of [members of the] public on the scene as well as heavy SAPS presence”.

“…at least five people had sustained minor to moderate injuries due to what was reported to paramedics as rubber bullets”‚ according to an ER24 statement‚ but this could not be confirmed.

“The patients were immediately removed to a staging area away from the protests and treated for their injuries‚” the statement said. “Once treated‚ the patients were transported to nearby facilities for further investigations.”

The department on Monday said an analysis of work done had revealed the work that pupils were doing now was supposed to have been completed in May.

Following extensive consultation with education MEC Panyaza Lesufi and a visit by Gauteng premier David Makhura‚ a decision has been taken to intervene urgently and to move pupils and teachers to Lufhereng Primary School.

The premier announced that a task team would be appointed to find a lasting solution to the issues being raised by the community.