Beliebers bunk school, then faint

The organisers of the Justin Bieber concert in Cape Town had their hands full saving young revellers who collapsed from dehydration, hunger and excitement.

Tens of thousands of screaming teenagers turned out for the Canadian pop singer's concert at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday night. Hundreds had been up as early as 4am to beat the snaking queues. Others stayed outside the One & Only Hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol.

Justin van Wyk, director of Big Concerts, said: "We had lots of young girls we had to attend to who were overcome by excitement."

"They fainted because they were on their feet from early in the morning. They had run to the front without water, skipped meals and were jumping around. When the show started, they didn't have enough energy to go through."

Schools are auditing attendance registers and preparing to deal with pupils who bunked for the show.

Yesterday, Bronagh Casey, spokesperson for education MEC Donald Grant, said schools would deal with learners internally.

"We condemn that some learners chose to be at the concert early rather than at school. We are aware some parents supported children in doing this. It is every parent's responsibility to ensure their children attend school every day," he said.

Bieber will perform at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.

"We want to remind young girls to eat, drink water and stay calm or they are going to pass out and miss the show," warned Van Wyk.