Brazen theft of solar panels from pre-school in Fairland
15 solar panels were expertly removed just two-days after they were installed at First Friends Nursery School.
When places of learning are targeted by criminals it is more than an interruption to learning, it is a travesty.
First Friends Nursery School in Fairland had their brand-new solar panels stolen from their roof in a brazen robbery.
The school had absorbed the enormous cost to install the backup power solution in a bid to ensure their little learners do not suffer when load-shedding or power outages hit. The thriving family-run school has 68 pre-schoolers enrolled and opened in 2015.
Yet just two days after the installation, all 15 panels had been removed in the middle of the night.
Shirley Murphy-Spencer, one of the owners said, “We can’t believe this has happened. The installation was done very discreetly by a trusted company that even delivered the panels in an unmarked van to avoid drawing attention to themselves. The job was completed in just one day.”
Each panel weighs 23kg and is larger than the size of a door, meaning this was a well-organised hit with manpower and a vehicle to enable the brazen thieves to move the panels.
Fairland Police Station Commander Lieutenant Colonel Clive de Freitas said, “I can confirm that solar panels were stolen from the school and police are investigating the case. Since last December, we have had two other incidents reported where solar panels were taken but never this quantity before. One incident had four panels stolen, the other case was only one. I have read reports that say this is a growing problem, but in Fairland to date, it is only the three cases so far.”
Murphy-Spencer wondered if the adjacent property known as the infamous ‘Jerusalem site’ might be a contributing factor. The Northcliff Melville Times has reported previously on a massive multi-agency clean-up operation organised by Ward 98 councillor Beverly Jacobs being conducted there in a bid to eradicate illegal occupiers of the land and quell its use by people conducting illegal activity.
President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address said the government had declared a national state of disaster to respond to the electricity crisis and its effects. In short, businesses and homeowners that were able to do so would need to increasingly depend on alternative power supplies for the foreseeable future.
This trend will also grow after Eskom increases its electricity tariffs by 18.65% from April 1, 2023, after energy regulator Nersa granted the price hike to help the ailing utility cover its debt.
Murphy-Spencer said, “Luckily we had added the new panels to our insurance the day before they were stolen. Thank goodness we were on top of that considering what has happened.”
Beagle Watch MD Andre Aiton said, “Criminals are industrious and quickly cotton on to new revenue streams. Amid the ongoing power crisis, generators, solar panels, and backup batteries have become hot property on the black market. If possible, install the panels out of street sight, or as far away from perimeter walls or trees as possible, and invest in additional security measures to safeguard the solar panels against theft.”
Beagle Watch has installed additional security measures at the school in the wake of this brazen theft to ensure the property is more secure.
