With the autumn break underway, Western Cape Education (WCED) MEC David Maynier has once again called on residents to help reports incidents of crime at schools.

There is usually a high number of burglaries and cases of vandalism during holiday periods.

Schools in the province closed on Friday (31 March), and classes will resume on the 12th of April.

“We want to wish all our teachers and learners a safe, and restful holiday. We appeal to our communities to keep a close watch on their local school properties during the break. It is so disappointing to return after the holiday to find institutions have been vandalised, and burgled, spoiling the start of the new term.” says MEC Maynier.

Despite holiday security from the WCED, 48 incidents of burglary and/or vandalism were recorded during the December/January period. This occurred at 42 facilities.

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Maynier says that while 457 schools were provided with subsidies for holiday security – the most effective security is community activism. He urges residents to take an active interest in the “school as a community resource”. Maynier adds that incidents of crime can be reported to local police or the WCED.

“Please keep your eyes peeled and report any suspicious activity to the South African Police Services, or to our Provincial hotline on 0800 45 46 47 immediately. Let’s all work together to ensure our teachers and learners can return to schools safely.” adds Maynier.