Durban - Three suspects who allegedly “terrorised” teachers at Tholulwazi High School in Pinetown and robbed them of their valuables are appearing in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court today (Thursday).
KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Mbali Frazer welcomed and applauded the arrest and subsequent court appearance of the three men.
Frazer said the suspects were linked to the Tholulwazi High School incident, where unknown people entered the school premises, terrorising teachers and taking all their valuables.
“We welcome these developments because there is a spreading phenomenon where criminals target educators, especially during extra and early-morning classes,” she said.
The MEC said that early this week a similar incident took place at Dlamuzi High School in the Pinetown District.
She said intruders following the same modus operandi as that of Tholulwazi High School entered the school and robbed them of their valuables.
The department said other schools that have also been targeted in the Pinetown District are Nchanga Primary School, Sithumba Primary School, Ndlulamithi High School, Ubhedu Primary School and Nazareth Primary School.
Last year, “The Mercury” reported that staff of a primary school in Durban were robbed at gunpoint by four suspects.
Police said it was alleged by the complainant that at 12 noon he was with his colleagues when they were accosted by four armed men.
“At gunpoint they robbed them of three laptops, four cellphones and an undisclosed amount of cash,” said police.
The suspects fled the scene in their getaway vehicle.
In another incident last year, “The Mercury” reported that four suspects were arrested after they robbed two pupils of their cellphones outside a school in the Northdale area of Pietermaritzburg.
Last month, IOL reported that the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal condemned the targeting of schools by criminals
Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said schools were gradually becoming soft targets for criminals as they know that teachers have their valuables and cars.
He said the school robberies were making life difficult for teachers and threatened their safety.
The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) in KZN said in a “Mercury” report that the government has to address crime in communities in order to curb the incidents affecting teachers and pupils in schools.
“Since the schools have reopened this year, there have been several cases where criminals threaten the lives of teachers and pupils.
“This is concerning. Crime in our communities is very high, as was announced last week, and uMlazi is one of the hot spots. The government should try and curb crime in our communities first. No matter how much security is employed in schools, if crime is on the rise, teachers’ lives are at risk.”