Residents of Thembelihle squatter camp near Lenasia, south-west of Johannesburg, attacked the Azara Secondary School with rocks and petrol bombs on Thursday and students had to be evacuated under police guard.
Police were called in to stop the disruption and escort the children home.
The school’s secretary, who was too scared to give her name, was held at gunpoint during the incident and was robbed of her cellphone and money.
”Children from the squatter camp had been told not to go to school or they would return and find that their homes and belongings had been destroyed,” said Brenda Sume, deputy chairwoman of the Thembelihle Crisis Committee.
The squatters had been protesting against being removed from their camp near Lenasia to Vlakfontein, a new settlement 3km away.
They had gone to the school because they believed the local councillor was taking shelter at the school. The attack took place after they were refused entrance to the school.
Police had earlier fired shots outside Thembelihle where residents had barricaded the camp with burning tyres and rocks.
The residents later assembled at a nearby taxi station in Thembilihle where they burnt a poster and T-shirt of President Thabo Mbeki. A smaller group descended on the school.
The squatters said they did not want to be moved to Vlakfontein because it had no facilities, such as schools, clinics or sanitation.
”We are not going anywhere, we would rather die here than be moved, and the government can start preparing coffins for us,” they chanted.
The squatters threatened to march to the premier’s office in Johannesburg on July 24.