25 more arrested for school burglaries in Gauteng

Police in Gauteng have arrested 25 more suspects recently for school burglaries, which brings the total number of suspects arrested to 66.

The Gauteng Department of Education said that 67 schools have been broken into, robbed, vandalised and even set alight since the start of nationwide lockdown on 27 March.

Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said the latest two suspects were apprehended with the help of the community in Orlando, Soweto, on Saturday.

“These suspects, aged 36 and 25, were caught red-handed inside the school premises.

“The other suspects were arrested by the team of detectives appointed by the provincial commissioner to trace all the suspects responsible for burglaries and torching of schools in Gauteng.”

Masondo said 10 more suspects were arrested in Johannesburg (including Soweto), 9 in Tshwane and 6 were arrested in Ekurhuleni, Sedibeng and West Rand.

In Tshwane, some of the schools broken into included Eesterust secondary school, Matseke primary school in Atteridgeville, and Mahube Valley primary in Mamelodi. Four schools were torched in Soshanguve since the beginning of the lockdown.

The provincial commissioner of the police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, thanked the community of Gauteng for responding to his call to work with the police in apprehending the school burglary suspects.

“The community has played an imperative role in the arrests of these suspects and that is much appreciated. I believe that working together we can protect the future of our children from the criminals,” Mawela.