Two Joza schools are unsure of how to deal with a resurge of criminal activity on their premises, after one lost property and copper furnishings over the winter vacation.
Two Joza schools are unsure of how to deal with a resurge of criminal activity on their premises, after one lost property and copper furnishings over the winter vacation.
According to principal Mthuthuzeli Koliti, Nombulelo Secondary School’s science laboratory was hit particularly hard. The thieves took electric boards, water taps, windows door handles and other valuables.
"It's a big headache to find ourselves in this situation at this time of year because even the Department of Education always says it has no money. Also, here at school we don't have the funds to replace these stolen things," Koliti said.
The most recent break-in took place sometime between 9 June and 12 July over the school holidays, but this isn’t the first time that thieves have hit Nombulelo this year. Koliti said that a computer was taken from their computer lab in May.
Meanwhile CM Vellem Primary School principal Nontombi Mene-Mpahlwa reported that her school experienced a break-in earlier this week, although nothing was actually stolen.
On Monday night, 13 classrooms were broken into and vandalised, but Mpahlwa-Mene said the cost of the damage is yet to be confirmed. The school now carries the financial burden of having to replace security gates, windows and padlocks that were forced open during the attack.
Mpahlwa-Mene is outraged with the lack of co-operation from the police. “I don’t even want to talk about that,” she said.
“The policeman and the policewoman just took a tour and then said to call them. They didn’t [even]give their names.”
A similar incident occurred at CM Vellem last year but the Mpahlwa-Mene insists that the school has yet to hear anything from the police regarding the matter.
“The case was withdrawn because the perpetrator is apparently at Fort England Hospital.”
