Plea for guards at Gauteng schools targeted by thieves and vandals

Vandalism, continuous break-ins and a lack of security guards were some of the burning issues raised by Gauteng school principals on Friday.

Peter Dhlamini, from Ratanda Secondary School in Heidelberg, said vandalism was a big challenge at the school.

"Every time we come back from holiday or the weekend, we find that there was a break-in. This costs us a lot of money."

Dhlamini was speaking at a breakfast session held by Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane to discuss safety at schools in the province.

He said when teachers returned to school this past weekend, all their eating utensils and a gas stove had been stolen.

"We had to borrow from other teachers so that our own learners could eat."

Dhlamini said the teachers were worried because there were members of the community who knew what was happening.

Dhlamini said they failed to receive any form of support from community members in the area, adding that a lack of security officials and patrollers at schools was a "very important" issue.

"If we can get security people to be stationed at schools, with police patrols to check on them, that would will be great. We also need committed parents to help us.”

Gauteng premier David Makhura issued a stern warning earlier in January 2019 to anyone who harmed pupils at schools in the province.

"We don’t want any of our children to be abused or raped. We need to make sure our children our safe in this beautiful school and other Gauteng schools," he said at the opening of the new, R105m Menzi Primary School in Langaville, near Tsakane, in Ekurhuleni.

He warned against vandalism and urged pupils and the community to protect the new school. 

But just days later robbers stole nearly 200 tablets and other equipment from the state-of-the-art school.

At the breakfast, Nkosi-Malobane said when scholar patrols were implemented, they had been implemented incorrectly.

"Patrollers were never meant to be security guards at schools. They don’t qualify to be security guards but are community patrollers. Schools are at liberty to get their own security guards," she said.

Frans Mollo, from Khanya-Lesedi Secondary School, said another concern was that boys from initiation institutions in the area disrupted schools.

"They come from the township and some are from the school. Some of their friends are at school. They abuse and rob the young ones at school."

Mollo called on the department of education to deploy more security officials to schools.

"It is our plea to the department or any donor who can help us with armed guards," he said.