The provincial education department has appealed to the public to help it track down the culprits behind break-ins at two Hanover Park schools earlier this month.
Crystal High School suffered flooding and electrical damage after pipes and cables were stolen during a break-in there on Friday night August 4, barely a week after water pipes were damaged and some were stolen during a break-in on Wednesday July 26 that flooded first-floor classrooms and forced pupils to be sent home so the water could be drained, said Western Cape Education Department spokeswoman Bronagh Hammond.
Teaching and learning time had been lost at the school because of the first incident and now further disruptions were likely while repairs were done following the second, she said.
She appealed to the community to report anyone who was involved in the break-ins, saying, “In many school vandalism cases, it is persons from that very community that are responsible.”
Contractors fixing damage at the school from the first break-in had fortunately been able to contain the flooding caused by the second, she said.
“Unfortunately, the cable theft had led to electrical damage, which also needed to be addressed.
“We appeal to anyone with information to please contact their local police station. We ask that the community keep their ears and eyes open and report any stolen goods or information relating to these two incidents to the authorities.
“Schools are assets to every community and should be treated as such. Our message to these perpetrators is hands off our schools.“
On Thursday August 3, the day before the latest break-in at Crystal High, thieves broke the locks off bathroom doors at Parkfields Primary School and stole basins, chrome taps and pipes from three bathrooms, said Ms Hammond.
“Many of the items stolen are then sold on to copper traders illegally. We ask that the community reports any information pertaining to this crime to the authorities,” she said.
Philippi police station spokesman Captain Lance Goliath said it was the provincial education department’s responsibility to protect school property.
“Some schools have a security guard,” he said.
During the June school holidays, burglaries and vandalism were reported by 38 schools, many of them in the metro education districts, with water pipes, windows, cables, computers, fencing, fire-safety equipment, stationery, security gates and more damaged or stolen, according to Education MEC David Maynier.
“The cost of replacing and repairing these is still being calculated and will divert funding away from the essential task of educating our learners. Someone somewhere knows who the perpetrators of these crimes are. Someone somewhere will be offered the goods stolen from our schools,” he said.