Western Cape schools vandalised during lockdown

School holidays are usually a time when Western Cape education bodies and principals fear that their schools may be robbed and vandalised, but during the coronavirus pandemic and accompanying nationwide lockdown, schools are being ransacked in broad daylight. 

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) have bemoaned over 20 incidents at schools in the Province, and say that extra security personnel being stationed at the schools might not be enough to stop the vandalism. 

“There were seven during the lockdown period and we had about 16 during the time that schools closed from the 20th of March,” said the WCED’s Bronagh Hammond speaking to Cape Talk. “The numbers have increased this week; we are collating that data.”

She said that the number of incidents is relatively consistent with every school holiday period, but warned that with fewer eyes on the streets, criminals were becoming more brazen and would trespass on school grounds during daylight hours. 

“Any burglary is one too many,” she said. 

Budget concerns

She said that due to a limited budget, rolling out extra security wouldn’t be advised. 

“In many of these incidents where there was vandalism there were security guards on site even in the night time when they hit the schools, but our schools are such large spaces that these guards cannot always protect the whole perimeter.”

“If you put ten security guards at one school you know they [criminals] could hit the next school down the road where we haven’t put security. To put security guards at all schools across the province – we do not have the budget for that.”

Desperation a concern

As the financial burden of the lockdown begins to affect people more heavily, Hammond said that the schools are being placed at further risk, with desperate community members likely to target schools

She said that Education Minister Angie Motshekga had been briefed on the situation and had voiced her concern on the issue and said that schools should be kept safe, even when a global pandemic means that they are no longer safe spaces for their students. 

“At the same time we are concerned during this lockdown about the poverty levels and the desperation of some families and communities to acquire additional income to survive. That’s where we do fear there will be a spillover into schools,” said Hammond. 

ANC condemn vandalism

ANC deputy chief whip in the provincial legislature and the party’s spokesperson on education, Khalid Sayed, condemned criminals who were taking advantage of the lockdown to perform criminal acts. He also called for Education MEC Debbie Schäfer to fight for security measures to be revamped.

“The ANC calls for better safeguarding and ensuring the WCED properly implements the school safety programme,” Sayed said.   

“We also call on Schäfer to prioritise the building of fences at schools, and fix broken ones,” Sayed said.