The woes of about 600 learners at Ngaqa Primary School in Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal have worsened after the local community looted its material following a storm.
The school is one of the many public institutions that was ravaged by the storm that swept through Zululand and Umkhanyakude districts over the weekend.
The storm left eight people dead and over 100 homes destroyed in Mtubatuba alone.
UPDATE: The community of Mtubatuba in KZN has allegedly invaded the destroyed Ngaqa primary school and looted food for learners and the roofing material blown away during last night's storm. The storeroom for the food has already been emptied. They also stole wiring material. pic.twitter.com/iBcrW5SuAt
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) October 22, 2023
According to the school’s principal, Thandi Mthonti, and the school governing board (SGB), after the devastating storm, the heartless local community invaded the school to loot the material strewn all over the place.
Mthonti said among the looted items belonging to the school was food, which was stored on the premises to feed learners as part of the school's nutrition programme.
The nearby community, whose children attend the school, also looted catering equipment, roofing that was lying on the ground, and wiring material.
“Immediately after the storm, I was told by the SGB that the local community was in the school looting our food kept for kids.
“When I visited the school, I found that they had looted it, together with the material that was on the ground,” Mthonti told IOL on Sunday evening.
Mthonti said it was surprising that some of the people who came to loot were seemingly well-off, as they came in vans.
“One man came with a big van and looted our catering equipment, like foldable tables we use during events.
"When he was confronted about the looting, he said that since there was a disaster, insurance would pay, and we must stop bothering him and whining.
PICS: The aftermath of the storm that gutted Mtubatuba, KZN over the weekend. Four people died, and over 70 homes were destroyed. Leaders from the provincial government, Umkhanyakude district municipality, and Mtubatuba local municipality today visited the gutted area. pic.twitter.com/LFCZNCzyC7
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) October 23, 2023
“That was shocking, and we were forced to call the police, who unfortunately came after the community was done with the looting,” Mthonti said.
On Tuesday, Mthonti told IOL that the local community had started stripping the windows of the damaged school located near the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game reserve.
“They are now stripping the windows of the school, and I am afraid they will eventually take everything,” Mthonti said.
The spokesperson for the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal, Muzi Mahlambi, has yet to comment on how they plan to ensure that learning is resumed in the battered school.
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