Fancy sending your kids to Michaelhouse, tucked away in the picturesque KZN Midlands?

No worries, but you’ll have to cough up R265 680 per year – at least according to the 2018 rates, which increased more than 10% from 2017’s R240 000 per annum.

That still doesn’t make them the most expensive school in the country, because Hilton College, also in KZN, have pipped them to the post with fees a cool R276 560 per annum.

Staggering numbers aside, it’s Michaelhouse who find themselves in the news today. Times LIVE reports:

Despite being on a plush gated estate‚ the home of a deputy rector at one of the country’s elite schools was hit by armed robbers in the early hours of Monday morning.

In a notice to parents of Michaelhouse‚ in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands‚ the school’s rector‚ Paul Fleischack‚ confirmed that three men – at least one armed – broke into the home of Allan Laing‚ a deputy rector at the school. Laing‚ his wife‚ child and his in-laws were held up at gun point.

“At approximately 1.30am [Monday] three intruders‚ of which at least one was armed‚ entered the home of Allan and Caireen Laing and held up the family. Caireen managed to alert Ballid Security who responded promptly‚ along with the SAPS. The intruders fled and opened fire on the guards who returned fire and apprehended two of the suspects within 100 metres of the house. Other intruders fled on foot. A while later a suspected getaway car was apprehended on the R103 and the two occupants were arrested‚” the notice to parents said.

Great to hear the robbers were apprehended, and no members of the Laing family, or the security company, were harmed.

We break briefly to say that you can take a virtual tour of Michaelhouse – just click the image below:

Yeah, not too shabby.

According to school spokesman Murray Witherspoon, the family was “shaken” but was okay.

Over on the Maritzburg Sun, here’s Ballid Security’s Riaan Claassen:

“Personal belongings, cameras and other equipment as well as a lot of liquor, was taken. The occupants managed to alert school security during the invasion and two were arrested on the property. Another two ran off but were arrested in their getaway vehicle on the R103, while a fifth was arrested later in the afternoon, also on the R103.” A sixth man is apparently still at large in the area.

The gang, he added, “was probably after electronic equipment”.

Surely they could have left the liquor and just picked up a few dops later?

The robbers are being held in custody at the Nottingham Road Police Station, and they are expected to appear in court later this week.

[sources:timeslive&maritzburgsun]