An investigation into an alleged extortion case at a school in the Eastern Cape has revealed that the phone used to demand money from the principal belonged to a learner.
An investigation into an alleged extortion case at a school in the Eastern Cape has revealed that the phone used to demand money from the principal belonged to a learner.
Authorities were now determining whether to include the learner among suspects, Thokozani Mathonsi from the SAPS Visible and Operations Division told the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries.
While police top brass assured Parliament that investigations into four school-related extortion cases in the OR Tambo District were progressing, no arrests had been made yet.
“A principal and deputy principal were phoned by an unknown person demanding R50 000 from the school...accusing the deputy principal that she is having an affair with the principal,” Mathonsi said.
“In another matter, section 205 is in progress to get the details of a bank account after alleged (suspects) approached the school claiming rental for the Vodacom network tower that is installed in school.”
Meanwhile, the department of basic education’s school safety director, Sifiso Ngobese said the number of learners who experienced violence between 2010 and 2022 declined, which could be attributed to the department’s efforts to curb corporal punishment in the classroom.
“However, it remains the most stubborn form of violence in schools.
“Other challenges that persist in schools are crime related with Nelson Mandela Bay District in the Eastern Cape, uMlazi and Pinetown Districts in KwaZulu-Natal being hotspots where there are also reports of teacher robberies while they are on duty in the school premises.
“Theft and burglary, including the stealing of school nutrition is a problem.
We urgently need to address school safety for both learners and staff to provide a conducive environment for learning and teaching,” said Ngobese.
He said the support the department has been receiving from the police was assisting and the department was using the police Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy for early prevention along with the National School Safety Framework, which empowers schools to conduct school safety audits and develop safety plans.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said the department had adopted a multifaceted approach, in light of a difficult fiscal environment, in dealing with the matters of safety including working directly with police minister Senzo Mchunu.
She urged communities to assist in the protection of schools.
Deputy police minister Polly Boshielo said they were working with schools to ensure safety and an agreement last year was signed in terms of school safety protocols which needed to be updated in the seventh administration since it was not talking to the current challenges faced by schools.
Committee chairperson Makhi Feni said: “The committee is excited with the collaborative nature with which government departments are working to resolve these matters. Schools should remain safe zones, and safe spaces for learners and educators. It concerns the committee that the country was now beginning to see cultures that were foreign, including the attacks on teachers by learners and outsiders, as well as the recent demands of protection fee.”
Cape Times