The Reggie Masuku Secondary and Wesselton Primary schools were said to be torched by a group of suspected illegal miners on Tuesday.
The education department confirmed that the suspected zamazamas torched the school earlier this week.
A video surfaced on social media captured how young children were forced to leave the school while burning tires and smoke billowed around them, with a voice in the background urging them to run.
The suspected gang members demanded the release of people who had been apprehended in connection with nearby illegal mining-related activities.
Mpumalanga Department of Education head of communication Jasper Zwane told Scrolla.Africa, the incident may have stemmed from a police operation last week.
"According to the information we have, last week the police in Ermelo arrested a group of men who were illegally mining coal and confiscated their cars," he said.
"Those who were not arrested resorted to a wild protest in the community and ended up disrupting two schools, namely Reggie Masuku Secondary School and Wesselton Primary School."
The department has engaged a psychosocial specialist to provide counselling to the traumatised learners and teachers. There have been no reports of injuries to learners.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said no arrests have been made yet.
"The protesters were throwing bricks at vehicles on the N11. They were also burning tyres in the road. When the police intervened, the protesters threw bricks at police members. As a result rubber bullets were used to disperse the protesters," said Mohlala.
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The Brigadier Mohlala added that the police had issues managing the incident as school learners threw objects at force.
"As the police attempted to control the protesters, learners from the secondary school also threw objects at police members," Mohlala said.
Vusi Shongwe, the Mpumalanga MEC for community, safety, security, and liaison, made a visit to the local schools on Thursday 20 October.
He vowed that such an incident would never happen again and urged the community, pupils, and teachers to unite in an attempt to overcome the tragedy.
"You must not be discouraged. We are here to reassure you that what happened on Tuesday at the school will not happen again. We will ensure that the local station patrols the schools regularly," Shongwe said.
