Rugby and hockey matches between Martizburg College and Johannesburg’s King Edward VII (KES) were cancelled at the eleventh hour on Friday as a result of the toxic fire at a Pietermartizburg dump site.
Residents woke up to clouds of billowing smoke and an acrid stench that engulfed the KwaZulu-Natal capital on Friday morning.
The blaze at the city dump‚ which is believed to have caught fire on Thursday night‚ forced several schools in the city and surrounding areas to shut their doors after environmentalists warned that the smoke could be highly toxic.
Maritzburg College confirmed the announcement of the closure of the school at 10.30am on Twitter and the cancellation of their fixtures against KES.
The school said the cancellation was a result of the smog from the fire and that the decision was made in the interests of the safety and health of all pupils.
The school posted on Twitter said it was" sad to have to close and to cancel our long-awaited return fixture VS @KingEdVIISchool #landfillfire #toxicsmoke #safetyfirst" .
KES alerted parents of their pupils that all 10 buses travelling to KZN had returned to Gauteng.
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