By Khanyisa Khenese
Two Makhanda schools are feeling the debilitating effects of cable theft.
TEM Mrwetyana Senior Secondary School in Joza has been forced to use a neighbour’s home for its printing needs, while toddlers and other little children at BoyBoy Mginywa Pre-School in Xolani have been learning in the dark for nearly three months.
BoyBoy Mginywa supervisor Emihle Ngqina said she sometimes has to use her cellphone torch so that the little learners are able to see. “It’s dark in the classroom, and it is hard to teach, sometimes, I must switch on the torch on my phone so that kids can see the posters that are on the wall,” Ngqina said.
She said criminals cut off the cables in January, and the school has been without power since.
Meanwhile, TEM Mrwetyana deputy principal Nomalungelo Tambo said cables at the school were stolen on the night of 25 February. She explained that on arrival for work at around 6.25 am on 26 February, the caretaker alerted her to the damage.
She said thieves had cut off the two to three-metre-long cables from the electricity pole on the school premises.
According to Tambo, the thieves used a refuse container next to the school to jump over the fence.
The caretaker, Nceba Dlepu, said the cables were stolen during load-shedding hours at night, and he only noticed the theft in the morning.
“I was shocked to see the lights outside were on but here in the school, they were off. I then went outside to check what could have happened to the pole and that is when I saw that the cables had been cut off.”
Tambo told Grocotts Mail that the school was feeling the effects. She was also worried about the unfortunate timing of the problem – a time when the school is supposed to be setting assessment tasks for
the first term.
“Yesterday, I knocked off just before 7 pm because there was load-shedding, and I had to go to another school to make copies so that learners can write,” she said.
Staff at the school have been left with no choice but to ask for help from a neighbouring house. The arrangement is that the school’s printer is kept in the neighbour’s house, and in return, the school buys electricity for the neighbour so that documents can be printed. The school also gets much-needed help from other Joza-based schools – Samuel Ntlebi Primary and Khutliso Daniels Senior Secondary, the principal stated.
A teacher at the school, who asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said cable theft has put an end to all school programs.
“Printing has become a hassle now; we are used to Wi-Fi, and now we have to use our own data,” the teacher complained.
Cable theft has disturbed teaching and learning at BoyBoy Mginywa in many ways – from communication to printing and lighting.
Both Tambo and Ngqina told Grocott’s Mail that they reported the incidents to Eskom even though they have little hope that the cables would be replaced anytime soon.
Tambo said the school reported the matter to the police on 26 February. Ngqina confirmed she opened a case with the police, and a month later, the Saps told her the case has had to be closed due to a lack of evidence. “They said there was no evidence that the cables were stolen, yet they never came to the school to investigate,” Ngqina lamented.
A message from the Saps, shared with Grocotts Mail, states that the police “followed all leads and therefore the case is closed. The docket will be re-opened upon new leads”.
Provincial police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli confirmed that cases of cable theft at the two schools were reported. However, he said their detectives have not made any arrests linked to the cases of theft.
“The police station also conducts high-density operations, especially during load-shedding schedules,” he said, adding that they “conduct compliance inspections at all the scrapyards and second-hand good dealers in the area to assess their compliance with relevant laws”.
“From time to time, copper is confiscated, and where possible, arrests are effected, and suspects are charged for possession of suspected stolen property,” he said.
Makana Municipality spokesperson Anele Mjekula said the municipality is considering increasing security measures at specific substations, where these incidents of cable theft often happen.
“The municipality is a member of the Non-Ferrous Metal Committee coordinated by the Saps looking into copper theft,” he said.
He added that the municipality is also planning to introduce a forum within the community so that they can educate the public about challenges around cable theft.
Despite attempts to contact Eskom and the Department of Education to establish how the schools could be assisted, Grocott’s Mail could not obtain comments by the time of publication.
