Western Cape Principals Pay Protection Fees to Safeguard Schools From Crime, South Africans Outraged
- Some principals of schools in Cape Town are taking desperate measures to ensure that their schools are safe from vandals and crimes
- Basil Manuel of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation said it was cheaper to pay protection fees than to repair any damages
- South Africans weighed in on the extortion racket, expressing outrage that educational facilities weren't safe anymore in the country
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
WESTERN CAPE – Some principals would rather pay protection fees to save their schools from being vandalised than wait for the department to fix any problems.
That’s according to Basil Manuel of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation, who detailed how some schools in Cape Town were so desperate that they were paying ‘protectors’ to keep them safe. Manuel added that in some cases, even parents were asked to contribute to the protection fees.
It’s cheaper to pay than to fix
Explaining how the situation worked, Manuel noted that the schools paid the protection money to groups, who then ensured that the properties were not targeted by vandalism and other crimes.
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He explained that the principals had no choice but to pay, as the protectors were also the criminals, making the schools more vulnerable.
"It's very difficult for one or two people to patrol a school campus, and when there is damage done, there's no one coming forward to help fix it. The Department is not coming around to fix," he stated.
He added that because the cost of replacing or fixing stolen or damaged items was so high, the rationale often was that it was easier to 'pay a little something' instead.
He admitted that reporting incidents of vandalism to the department could also prove to be fruitless.
"Help is slow, if it does ever come," he said.
Manuel also suggested that the problem may not be limited to an area in Cape Town alone, as reports also came in from Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
South Africans weigh in on the situation
Social media users weighed in on the story, with many expressing frustration that schools were not safe from crime.
Mzo Mkhohlwa suggested:
“Cape Town should adopt the Mkhwanazi way of problem solving.”
John Volkwyn urged:
“Remove the Constitutional rights of gangsters.”
Reagan Naidoo exclaimed:
“You can't be serious. Just when you think you've heard it all in Banana land, we have more. It’s unbelievable that this happens. A mere 30 years and it's turned into Banana Republic.”
@XolsTYQ stated:
“South Africans really go low. Schools and clinics? What's next? Our law enforcement really fails us.”
@Mtika36101742 said:
“Public schools need to have armed security guards protecting them 24/7. Cabinet members have security paid for by our taxes. They need to protect our schools using our tax money as well, for the sake of our children.”
@AlunamdaNocanda stated:
“We are now South America.”
Cape Town shop owners face a monthly increase in protection fees
In a related article, foreign spaza shop owners in Cape Town say they are forced to close their shops due to extortion threats.
Briefly News reported that the foreign nationals claim that the protection fees demanded by gangs in Cape Town increase monthly.
Over 30 shops in Cape Town were forced to shut down as criminals demanded more money from the shop owners.
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Source: Briefly News
