WCED records uptick in school burglaries during summer holidays

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) says it has noted an uptick in the number of schools that have fallen victim to burglaries and vandalism during the December/January school holidays. This is despite their increase in subsidised holiday security deployment.

Last year, the Western Cape Government subsidised holiday security to 480 schools for the summer vacation period in an attempt to safeguard schools from being targetted and burgled.

But, during this period, 47 incidents of burglary or vandalism were reported by 34 schools. According to the WCED, this is a significant increase in incidents from the 26 incidents reported at 24 schools during the same period in 2023/24.

Provincial Education MEC David Maynier says while the majority of incidents were minor in nature, these incidents are costly to schools, both in terms of the cost of replacement and the impact on school functionality.

Items damaged or stolen include electrical fixtures, appliances, food for learners, bathroom fixtures, fencing and security equipment, windows and a host of other items.

“It is disappointing that our schools will once again have to allocate time and resources to cover these losses. Our schools are precious community resources, and they must be protected and cared for by all of us.” added Maynier

Mayier has thus urged the public to keep a close eye on their local schools and to report suspicious activity in the vicinity of the schools to South African Police Services (SAPS) or the Safe Schools hotline (0800 45 46 47) immediately.

Additionally, if residents have any information, no matter how small, about the incidents that occurred over the holiday, they are urged to contact the SAPS.

“What might seem insignificant information may turn out to be the missing piece of the puzzle that they need to apprehend the criminals and recover our schools’ property!”