While the Western Cape education department tallies the cost of repairs as a result of theft and vandalism, it has confirmed a drop in the number of incidents reported in comparison to the same period last year.

Education MEC Debbie Schafer said in a statement that 18 incidents had been reported over the winter holiday, down 42% from last year’s 31 cases.

“The cost for repairs for just over half of the schools has come in at around R250 000,” she said.

The department’s Safe Schools Programme increased security at some of the province’s identified high-risk schools during the holiday period, Schafer explained.

“During the 2015 winter holiday period, 413 schools benefited either from 12- or 24-hour security and cluster patrols.

“Unfortunately, despite these measures, some of our schools still fell victim to vandalism and burglaries.”

The department was not immediately able to confirm how much the patrols cost.

The 18 cases reported were minor instances of vandalism and/or burglary, meaning that the estimated cost of repairs was below R100 000 and the school’s ability to function was not impacted in any way.

The Cape Winelands District reported the highest number of episodes in the province, with five incidents.

“We received three reports each from the Metro Central, Metro East and Metro North Education Districts. Metro South District reported two incidents. The West Coast and Eden and Karoo Districts each reported one incident,” Schafer confirmed.

The Overberg District did not report any incidents. News24