Education
(1) Whether his Department has recorded any incidents of vandalism, theft or damage
to infrastructure at public schools across the province during the June 2025 school
holiday; if so, (a) what is the comprehensive breakdown of the reported incidents,
(b) what is the total number of incidents recorded, (c) what is a brief description of
each incident, (d) what are the specific items and infrastructure that were damaged
or stolen, (e) what is the estimated cost of the damages, (f) what are the names of the
affected schools, (g) in which areas are the schools located and (h) in which
education districts did the incidents occur;
(2) whether his Department has identified any schools as high-risk schools for holidayrelated
vandalism; if so, what targeted interventions were implemented at those
schools;
(3) whether any arrests have been made or investigations initiated in connection with
these incidents; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) what role, if any, do community policing forums, neighbourhood watches or other
community-based safety structures play in assisting his Department?
My department has provided me with the following information:
(1) Overall details of incidents during the 2025 June/July school holidays are attached as Annexure A.
Providing detailed information on each of the incidents could be a security risk to the schools.
(2) Districts identify schools as “high risk” for vandalism or burglary using the School Safety Resilience Score Card and the historical statistics of the Safe Schools Call Centre. These schools are allocated a subsidy to procure guard services for the duration of the holiday period.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) subsidised holiday security at 424 schools during the 2025 winter holidays.
(3) The WCED submits a list of all crime-related incidents reported to the Safe Schools Call Centre, together with the South African Police Services (SAPS) CAS numbers, to the Provincial Office of SAPS for further investigation. The outcome of the investigations is presented by SAPS at the Provincial Joints Priority Committee on School Safety. We have not been informed of any arrests thus far.
(4) Community Policing Forums, Neighbourhood Watches and other local safety structures can support the WCED by reporting suspicious activity and assisting in joint operations with SAPS. Their involvement can help prevent possible incidents of vandalism and theft at public schools across the province.
Keeping our schools safe also requires the support of our school communities, and quick reporting can make all the difference in apprehending perpetrators and retrieving stolen goods. We appeal to the public to keep a close eye on their local schools and to report any suspicious activity to SAPS immediately.
