Western Cape Education on schools experiencing less vandalism and theft during summer holidays

The number of incidents of burglary and vandalism which occurred at Western Cape schools over the 2025/26 summer school holiday has decreased significantly, with 36 incidents reported by 32 schools. This is a marked decrease compared to the 47 incidents reported by 34 schools during the 2024/25 summer holidays, demonstrating more effective target hardening and monitoring of school properties.

We subsidised holiday security at 441 schools during the holidays to protect school properties and have worked closely with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and law enforcement to increase vigilance around our schools.

Nevertheless, this is still 36 incidents too many. Items stolen or damaged during this period range from fencing, electrical cables and plumbing fixtures to kitchen equipment and food for learners. In one particularly alarming incident, over 100 windows at a school were deliberately damaged – a act of senseless criminality.

Every single item that is damaged or stolen must be replaced, which diverts funding from the core task of educating our learners so that they can so that get a job or study further when they leave school.
Stealing from a school is stealing from a child’s future.

A watchful school community can thwart even the most dedicated of criminals and vandals, so we urge the public to keep a close eye on their neighbourhood schools and to report any suspicious activity to SAPS or our Safe Schools hotline (0800 45 46 47) immediately.

If you have any information about the incidents that occurred over the school holidays, please speak up. You may hold the key piece of information that will allow SAPS to arrest the perpetrators and recover our schools’ stolen properly!

Enquiries:
Kerry Mauchline
Spokesperson to Minister David Maynier
E-mail: Kerry.Mauchline@westerncape.gov.za

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