Schools across the Western Cape are increasingly finding themselves under pressure from organised criminal groups, with reports emerging of staff being threatened and money being demanded in exchange for ‘protection’.
The issue is gaining attention despite the region’s reputation for strong governance, with City of Cape Town standing out as the only metro in the country to maintain a clean audit for three consecutive years, according to the Auditor-General of South Africa.
Yet even Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has pointed out that clean financial management does not mean all challenges are resolved, with crime and gang activity continuing to affect communities, including schools, as per Business Tech.
Recent reports highlight a growing pattern where education institutions are being targeted by extortion networks. In some cases, schools are allegedly paying fees to avoid vandalism or further criminal damage, while there are also claims that parents are being asked to contribute towards these payments.
National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa executive director Basil Manuel said the scale of the problem is difficult to measure because it often goes unreported.
‘We know in Gauteng there have been stories that have slipped out every now and again. We’ve heard of one or two stories in Mpumalanga as well,’ he said.
According to Manuel, the situation is deeply concerning, with schools seen as easy targets due to their vulnerability and limited security resources.
‘It’s criminal elements that are purporting to be the protectors,’ Manuel said. ‘Schools are just desperate because schools are so vulnerable, and that is the big issue.’
He explained that repeated break-ins and damage place both financial and emotional strain on schools, leaving management in a difficult position when support is slow or insufficient.
‘The department is not coming around to fix, and things are stolen that are sometimes irreplaceable,’ he said.
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‘So people find, or justify the fact that it is probably easier to pay a little something to prevent those big losses of irreplaceable things.’
While he emphasised that paying extortion money is not the right solution, Manuel acknowledged that some principals feel they have little choice under the circumstances.
He added that even when schools follow proper channels and report concerns, assistance is not always immediate, making the challenge even harder to manage.
With thousands of schools across the country, ensuring adequate protection everywhere remains a major obstacle.
‘When you look at 24 000 to 25 000 schools, it is extremely difficult to ensure that everybody is covered with two or three security guards,’ he said.
Manuel warned that if the issue is not addressed effectively, it could spread further, becoming more entrenched over time.
He noted that in some areas, such as Umtata, similar patterns are already becoming part of daily life, with criminals replicating tactics that appear to go unpunished.
‘And so you start having a whole lot more of this happening. Everybody recognises the problem. So it’s not identification that’s the issue, it’s the solution,’ he said.
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