Vandalism continues in Cape Flats schools

By Rhodé Marshall
14 March 2008

Vandalism in schools has become quite a profound and increasing problem which is haunting schools on the Cape Flats. Just on Monday Beacon Hill Secondary in Mitchells Plain was once again targeted by a group in the area.

“Perpetrators were caught after consecutive break-ins, we were lucky to catch the two in one of the labs and they were in possession of a ‘tik-lolly’ and what they call a dagga pyp. On that occasion we were lucky, we got the cops in and they got locked up,” says school Principal Gordon Prins.

He says the unfortunate part of the story is that one of the vandals was a grade 8 student from the school. Vandals entered the Home Economics class through the ceiling and took out the geyser leaving the classroom flooded with water.

At Spine View Primary in Rocklands – Principal Ehon Terrblanche says that his school is targeted by vandals in the area at night, over weekends and during the school holidays.

“I’ve been asking the Western Cape Education Department to secure safety measures at the school in particular providing securities, but the response that I get from the department is that there is no money available for extra personal to do that kind of work,” Terrblanche.

When questioned on the concerns principals have at schools like Spine View Primary and Beacon Hill Secondary, about having to deal with vandalism on their own without assistance from the Department - the Western Cape MEC for Education Cameron Dugmore differed with the unfortunate experiences the principals’ encounter.

“We provide with the Department of Community Safety the Bambanani safety volunteers, but also our schools in all of these communities are assisted with alarm systems and armed response facilities in the high risk schools. Those funds are provided by the department itself in the schools that find themselves in a high risk situation” says Dugmore.