Burglary is escalating at schools around South Africa, with food, copper wiring and even books being in high demand. Vandalism has also been on the increase.In the Western Cape more than R10-million was spent in the last financial year to repair schools, and the province has increased the emergency maintenance fund to R20-million in the 2015/2016 financial year.Education MEC Debbie Schäfer has had enough. "Burglary and vandalism in our schools has reached epic proportions. I want to appeal today to every resident of the Western Cape to take an active role and help us protect our schools," she said yesterday.National education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said vandalism was draining resources which could be spent on new schools. "It is a serious problem and it's escalating," he said."It often happens at newly built schools. Weeks later the school will look as if it is 10 years old. Windows are broken, they write on the walls, toilets are deliberately blocked and computers stolen."Schäfer said in the 2014/2015 financial year, Western Cape schools reported 1180 incidents of burglary and vandalism, or three a day."It has been reported that in the first quarter of 2015, 286 schools in Gauteng were burgled or vandalised, with 282 schools in the Western Cape being hit," she said.A Cape Town principal, who did not want to be named, said schools had to pick up a "huge chunk of the bill". "The department cannot cover everything," he said.Thefts of copper wires, pipes and food are among the biggest problems. But the principal said thieves would even carry away fencing and steal alarm-system wire "just to get to the little copper inside"...