In a statement on Tuesday, the Gauteng department of education said it had learnt with “shock and disappointment” about a break-in at Menzi Primary School in the early hours of the same day.

Department MEC Panyaza Lesufi said that Menzi Primary School was a multimillion-rand state-of-the-art mega-township school that was recently handed over to the community of Tsakane, Ekurhuleni, on the first day of school on Wednesday.

“It is alleged that two patrollers were tied up and locked in one of the strong rooms. The criminals broke the main volt door to access the keys of the entire school. In all the other volts they opened with keys. Some of the keys were left, but the school is still checking if there are any other keys missing.

“The main areas broken into are the administration block and IT offices, where the tablets are charged. There is evident forceful entry on the doors of all the areas they went into.”

He said the following expensive resources were stolen:

• All 185 learner tablets

• 8 teacher laptops

• 2 x data projectors

• 3 x desktop computers

• Plasma TV

• Petty cash of less than R500

• Digital Video Recorder (DVR) for cameras (hard drive)

A case was opened with the Tsakane police.

“It is sad to say currently the Grade 7 learners do not have any textbooks as their e-books are gone with the tablets.”

The department would work with law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to book.

“These are educational facilities aimed at enhancing the quality of education and life of children in the township. We are extremely disappointed that criminals can disrupt the education of learners in this community.

“However, we challenge members of the community to assist and hunt the robbers by Friday, 18 January 2019, failing which we will have no choice but to withdraw all expensive equipment from the said school,” said Lesufi.

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