A suspect was expected to appear in the Kagiso Magistrates’ Court for breaking into the Mandisa Shiceka High School’s administrative offices.
The suspect, who is in his early 30s, was arrested in the early hours of a Thursday morning in February by security members after the alarm was triggered.
School principal Dr Vathukattu Joseph said the armed response team notified him after arresting the suspect. He said one suspect was arrested on the school premises and two others fled the scene on foot.
He said the suspects were armed with wrenches, crowbars, clippers and socks used as gloves to hide finger prints.
“Upon entering the school premises, the response team saw three suspects on the roof of the administrative block where they gained entry through the roof and ceiling.”
They left behind their tools when fleeing the scene. The items were handed over to police.
“Two suspects managed to escape through an opening in the school’s fence. The third suspect was arrested not far from the administration block,” Joseph added.
He said school management and teachers were shocked because the suspects appeared to be searching for specific items because they left valuables such as laptops, printers and desktop computers untouched.
Unaware that the CCTV cameras were installed and hidden in the principal’s office and the administrative office, one of the suspects was seen searching through filling cabinets and cupboards.
Warrant Officer Solomon Sibiya, spokesperson for Kagiso Police confirmed a suspect was arrested and a burglary docket was opened.
This is the second burglary at the school in less than two months.
In a previous incident the school was broken into and valuables such as laptops, LCD televisions and printers also were left untouched, and only a filling cabinet was damaged.
