JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng department of education (GDE) on Thursday said it was disturbed by the robbery at Khulasizwe Primary School in Tembisa, where over half a million rand in electronic equipment was stolen.
Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the school’s alarm system was triggered by the burglary, which alerted armed response, who in turn notified the police.
"It is so unfortunate that the perpetrators had already left the premises when police arrived, taking off with 41 laptops, 25 desktop computers, 25 tablets, two servers, two projectors and R1900 petty cash. A case has been opened with SAPS and investigations are ongoing. The estimated value of the stolen items is over R500 000," said Mabona.
Mabona said the department was concerned that valuable resources meant to enhance the delivery of quality education were viewed by some as an opportunity for criminality and to rob learners of their right to quality basic education.
The province's education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, said: "Our schools are hunting grounds for criminals. We would like to appeal to the community at large to work collectively with law enforcement agencies and bring forth any information that will ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book and justice is served. We can’t postpone the future of our children."