During the July school holidays 38 Western Cape schools reported incidents of vandalism, burglary, or attempted burglary.
Among the 38, seven schools in the West Coast have fallen victim.
Western Cape Minister of Education Debbie Schäfer said she is extremely disappointed that the schools have once again been targeted by ruthless criminals while closed for the holidays.
“Our schools are already operating in difficult circumstances, and the last thing they need is to be further disrupted by damages and theft,” said Schäfer
Items stolen over the holidays included sports equipment, gardening and maintenance equipment, fencing, building fixtures, lighting and electrical cables, IT equipment, stationery, kitchen equipment, and food for school meals. “Even where nothing was stolen, the attempts by these criminals to gain access to a school property caused damage to infrastructure.
“Someone, somewhere, is going to be offered the goods stolen from our schools for sale. If this happens, please report it immediately. We had an incident last year when a member of the public reported seeing cans meant for use in the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) at a shop, which led to a speedy arrest.”
Schäfer said that in some cases, wanton vandalism appears to be the motive – instead of stealing anything, the perpetrators simply destroyed anything from furniture to bathroom fixtures. “These are pointless and malicious acts, with our children on the losing end as a result. To damage your local school is self-sabotage.”
She added that while the total cost of repairs and replacing stolen goods is still being assessed, the department spent an estimated R10 million repairing damages in the 2020-’21 financial year – money that could have been spent on supporting the schools.
“Unfortunately, one of the incidents this holiday period resulted in the death of a security guard who confronted perpetrators. We offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends, and the school community. The district office has also offered counselling support to the school.”
