Alex education stakeholders are worried about crime in the area and hope it will not dissuade essential partners from supporting education in the township.
These concerns were raised by secondary school principals, district and provincial education and constituency officials at a handover of computers from Standard Bank.
The officials are concerned that donations such as these which complements the schools’ E-learning programmes may dry up in the absence of concrete solutions to secure school premises, property and personnel.
Isaac Tloloe, principal at Eastbank Secondary Schools said criminals breached their internal safety measures twice, resulting in the loss of more than R400 000 worth of computers and other school assets. He said there was an urgent need for police intervention through rapid response, apprehensions and successful prosecutions of criminals.
He added that this could also encourage residents to report crimes, and criminals whose methods he said were brazen. “They openly threaten school authorities, break school walls and may soon invade schools during the daytime. We urged for intense police response as some evidence of the burglaries are presented to them through CCTV footage,” Tloloe said.
Kwa-Bhekilanga Secondary School principal, Jubere Silowa, said his school was also burgled twice in the last six months and expensive computer equipment and other assets were stolen, and no arrests have been made. “Our role is to teach the children while we rely on security agencies to ensure our work is not interrupted,” Silowa said. He pleaded for police patrols to complement unarmed community patrollers.
Gauteng region’s chief director of education, Moss Nkonyane, made an impassioned plea for improved security at schools. “The level of crime nationally is appalling and regressive to education and development programmes,” he said.
“The school burglaries are part of it and very worrying as they are done violently resulting in severe injuries, death and destruction of property.”
Nkonyane said this in reference to the recent torching of schools in Limpopo Province. “We seem to have high levels of violent anger which should be resolved in constructive ways like in other countries.” He urged for a concerted and urgent collaborative national anti-crime response.
Nokuthula Sikhakhane of the premier’s office said it appeared crime only affected township schools which needed help the most. “Residents and children should also play a part to close the criminal market by not buying stolen goods, tablets, and computers – some of which are said to end up in Internet cafes,” said Sikhaklane.
“Children should stand up to defend their future by not buying tablets on the street and by reporting crime to the police.”
William Choene of the constituency office committed to organise a stakeholders platform to address the concern.
