{"id":295426,"date":"2026-02-15T09:27:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T07:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/?p=295426"},"modified":"2026-02-15T09:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T07:30:22","slug":"fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Increased security at schools and working closely with the police have paid off as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westerncape.gov.za\/\">Western Cape Department of Education<\/a> (WCED) reports a significant decrease in vandalism and theft at schools during the summer holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe number of incidents of burglary and vandalism which occurred at Western Cape schools over the 2025\/26 summer school holiday has decreased significantly, with 36 incidents<strong> <\/strong>reported by 32 schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a marked decrease compared to the 47 incidents reported by 34 schools during the 2024\/25 summer holidays, demonstrating more effective target hardening and monitoring of school properties,\u201d said Minister David Maynier in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The department said that it subsidised holiday security at 441 schools to increase vigilance. In the 36 incidents of theft or vandalism, fencing, electrical cables, plumbing fixtures in kitchens and food meant for learners were stolen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn one particularly alarming incident, over 100 windows at a school were deliberately damaged \u2013 a act of senseless criminality,\u201d said Maynier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The department said it would not release the names or locations of the schools for security reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEvery single item that is damaged or stolen must be replaced, which diverts funding from the core task of educating our learners so that they can so that get a job or study further when they leave school. Stealing from a school is stealing from a child\u2019s future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The department encouraged school communities to thwart the efforts of vandals and thieves by staying vigilant and keeping an eye on schools in their neighbourhoods. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the police or to the Safe Schools hotline immediately on 0800 45 46 47.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The provincial education department announced last year that it would spend more than R5 million to protect schools in the province. The cost of repairing damage done by vandals, was estimated to be more than R1 million, the department said in August 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The WCED encourages communities to keep an eye on schools in their neighbourhoods and immediately report any theft or vandalism. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":295427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"83","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[93,8191],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-295426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured","tag-schools"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools | Worcester Standard &amp; Breederivier Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Western Cape Department of Education reports fewer incidents of theft and vandalism at schools during the December holidays.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Western Cape Department of Education reports fewer incidents of theft and vandalism at schools during the December holidays.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Worcester Standard &amp; Breederivier Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WorcesterStandard1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-15T07:27:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-15T07:30:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1714\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ronel van Jaarsveld\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ronel van Jaarsveld\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ronel van Jaarsveld\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3ab16b38b65f051c1aee1261a9e29ea8\"},\"headline\":\"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-15T07:27:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-15T07:30:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":311,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Featured\",\"Schools\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/\",\"name\":\"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools | Worcester Standard &amp; Breederivier Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-15T07:27:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-15T07:30:22+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Western Cape Department of Education reports fewer incidents of theft and vandalism at schools during the December holidays.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1714,\"caption\":\"Vandalism and theft at schools cause hundreds of thousands of rands in damage. Photo: Freepik\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/\",\"name\":\"Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/standard-breederivier-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/standard-breederivier-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/WorcesterStandard1\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@worcesterstandard1251\"],\"description\":\"The Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette has been the voice of the Breede Valley and Langeberg communities for decades, building a legacy of trust, relevance, and community connection. Established with the goal of keeping our communities informed and engaged, we\u2019ve grown into one of the most respected and reliable local news sources in the region. From council updates and school news to cultural events and community-driven initiatives, we cover the stories that shape the everyday lives of our readers. Our mission is simple: to bring our communities the latest news, impactful stories, and insightful opinions that matter most \u2014 keeping them connected, empowered, and informed.\",\"email\":\"worcesterstandard@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"023 3470968\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3ab16b38b65f051c1aee1261a9e29ea8\",\"name\":\"Ronel van Jaarsveld\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0dc59e4a79e11e017165d94f02bea767e815504fba67788d0f2e1568ad977016?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0dc59e4a79e11e017165d94f02bea767e815504fba67788d0f2e1568ad977016?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0dc59e4a79e11e017165d94f02bea767e815504fba67788d0f2e1568ad977016?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ronel van Jaarsveld\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/worcesterstandard\\\/author\\\/ronel-vanjaarsveld\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools | Worcester Standard &amp; Breederivier Gazette","description":"The Western Cape Department of Education reports fewer incidents of theft and vandalism at schools during the December holidays.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools","og_description":"The Western Cape Department of Education reports fewer incidents of theft and vandalism at schools during the December holidays.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/","og_site_name":"Worcester Standard &amp; Breederivier Gazette","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WorcesterStandard1","article_published_time":"2026-02-15T07:27:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-15T07:30:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1714,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ronel van Jaarsveld","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ronel van Jaarsveld","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/"},"author":{"name":"Ronel van Jaarsveld","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#\/schema\/person\/3ab16b38b65f051c1aee1261a9e29ea8"},"headline":"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools","datePublished":"2026-02-15T07:27:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-15T07:30:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/"},"wordCount":311,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg","keywords":["Featured","Schools"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/","name":"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools | Worcester Standard &amp; Breederivier Gazette","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-15T07:27:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-15T07:30:22+00:00","description":"The Western Cape Department of Education reports fewer incidents of theft and vandalism at schools during the December holidays.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg","width":2560,"height":1714,"caption":"Vandalism and theft at schools cause hundreds of thousands of rands in damage. Photo: Freepik"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/fewer-incidents-of-theft-and-vandalism-in-western-cape-schools\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Fewer incidents of theft and vandalism in Western Cape schools"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/","name":"Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#organization","name":"Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/standard-breederivier-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/standard-breederivier-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WorcesterStandard1","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@worcesterstandard1251"],"description":"The Worcester Standard & Breederivier Gazette has been the voice of the Breede Valley and Langeberg communities for decades, building a legacy of trust, relevance, and community connection. Established with the goal of keeping our communities informed and engaged, we\u2019ve grown into one of the most respected and reliable local news sources in the region. From council updates and school news to cultural events and community-driven initiatives, we cover the stories that shape the everyday lives of our readers. Our mission is simple: to bring our communities the latest news, impactful stories, and insightful opinions that matter most \u2014 keeping them connected, empowered, and informed.","email":"worcesterstandard@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"023 3470968","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/#\/schema\/person\/3ab16b38b65f051c1aee1261a9e29ea8","name":"Ronel van Jaarsveld","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dc59e4a79e11e017165d94f02bea767e815504fba67788d0f2e1568ad977016?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dc59e4a79e11e017165d94f02bea767e815504fba67788d0f2e1568ad977016?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dc59e4a79e11e017165d94f02bea767e815504fba67788d0f2e1568ad977016?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ronel van Jaarsveld"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/author\/ronel-vanjaarsveld\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SchoolvandalismFreepik.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":294927,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/late-applications-for-school-placement-challenging\/","url_meta":{"origin":295426,"position":0},"title":"Late applications for school placement &#8216;challenging&#8217;","author":"Worcester Standard &amp; Breederivier Gazette","date":"15 January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Thousands of late applications are still being processed to place learners at schools, the Western Cape Education Department said this week.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/School.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/School.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/School.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/School.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/School.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/School.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Worcester Standard &amp; Breederivier Gazette","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295426"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=295426"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/worcesterstandard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=295426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}