Schools in the Western Cape took a hard knock over the July holidays after the provincial education department reported that a total of 38 schools have fallen prey to vandalism, burglary, and attempted burglary.
According to EWN, these criminals seized the opportunity to target schools after they closed for an extended period during the recent holiday.
Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk also confirmed that a 59-year-old security guard was attacked more than a week ago at a primary school in Manenberg.
“The perpetrators assaulted the 59-year-old male while breaking into the school and stealing various items such as kettles, pots, a dishwasher and microwave. He was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
“A case of attempted murder and housebreaking was opened initially. The case was changed to murder after he died,” said Van Wyk as per The Citizen.
Meanwhile, Western Cape Education MEC, Debbie Schafer expressed her disappointment that schools have been targeted by “ruthless criminals.”
She explained that even though the cost of repairs to infrastructure and replacing stolen goods are still in the process of being assessed, “the department spent an estimated R10 million repairing damages in the 2020/2021 financial year” after suspects stole IT equipment, food, sports equipment, fencing, and stationery amongst other items, EWN adds.
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