POTCHEFSTROOM - South African Police Service (SAPS) detectives from the Morokweng and the Mompati districts in the North West have arrested two suspects, aged 25 and 27, following yet another break-in and theft of expensive computer equipment at a school this past week, the SAPS in the province said on Sunday.
The suspects were arrested on Friday following a break-in at the Maiketso Primary School in Morokweng village northwest of Vryburg on August 3, SAPS North West spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said in a statement.
It was alleged that the school principal found on arrival at the school at about 8.10am on Tuesday, August 4 that the strongroom had been broken into. Upon inspection, he established that brand new laptop computers, tablets, a projector, and a camera, together valued at about R215,000, had been stolen. A case of burglary was registered for investigation, Mokgwabone said.
During the investigation, the police team followed up on information received, which led to the arrest of the two suspects in Morokweng. Subsequently, 16 laptop computers, nine tablets, the projector, and the camera were recovered in Morokweng and in Seweding village near Mahikeng.
"Furthermore, the team recovered 10 suspected stolen sheep, which were kept in a makeshift kraal in the yard where the suspects were arrested. Further investigation revealed that the sheep were stolen in Ganyesa, between Vryburg and Morokweng. They were all positively identified by the lawful owner," Mokgwabone said.
Both suspects would appear in the Ganyesa Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of business burglary, possession of suspected stolen goods, and stock theft.
"This is the second [recent] arrest regarding burglaries committed at schools. In a separate case, two suspects were arrested on Thursday, 27 August 2020, in Makgobistad [on the Botswana border west of Mahikeng] for possession of suspected stolen goods after they allegedly broke into Mmoledi Secondary School and stole laptops, tablets, smart pads, as well as sets of netball, volleyball, and soccer kits," Mokgwabone said.
North West police commissioner Lt-Gen Sello Kwena applauded the SAPS team for working tirelessly to ensure that the suspects were arrested and the stolen goods recovered.
- African News Agency (ANA), editing by Jacques Keet