Local schools beef up security
Various schools in the city were plagued by robberies over the past two years thus, many schools have increased security measures to ensure the safety of their learners and staff.
POLOKWANE – Electronic card machines, extra security details as well as extra locks on doors were implemented at different schools in a bid to ward off criminals.
A local school principal, Charmaine Botha, urged parents to make use of electronic payment options instead of making payments in cash. She says this will prevent large sums of cash accumulating on the premises, which made schools the target of criminals in the past.
A teacher at one of the schools robbed in 2016, Jolene Pieterse, said: “We received negative publicity and a lot of complaints from parents who said they felt unsafe after an armed robbery took place at our school. We also fell victim to a break-in last year this time and we believe we are being targeted because criminals know parents make larger payments at the start of the school year.”
Spokesperson for the Department of Education, Dr Naledzani Rasila, called on schools to take extra safety precautions. She also asked parents to make use of electronic payment options where possible, stating: “Even if it’s a small amount, if 10 or 100 other parents make the same payment in cash, it adds up to a lot and that puts everyone at the school’s safety in jeopardy”.
