Dryden Street Primary burgled, vandalised
Teachers at Dryden Street Primary School in Salt River got a shock on Monday when they arrived at the school to find it had been burgled and vandalised.
Principal Stanton Smith said windows were broken, a fire extinguisher had been discharged, and there was blood on the floor in his office.
The safe in his office had been broken into and R2500 stolen.
The money was school fees that parents had paid during a meeting at the school on Saturday and which the school had been unable to bank at the time, he said.
Also taken were school tracksuits, new work boots for support staff, a cleaner’s uniform, a groundsman’s uniform, teachers’ possessions and boxes of donated food for the school’s feeding scheme.
“It saddens me to know that we have these types of individuals in our community who are damaging a school which is nurturing the future of young men and women in our society,” he said.
The staff room and four classrooms were also vandalised.
Mr Smith said the incident had left staff and pupils demoralised, and he appealed to anyone with information about the crime to come forward.
Police are investigating, but no arrests have been made, according to Woodstock police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tian Lotz.
Provincial education department spokesperson Millicent Merton said: “We appeal to anyone with information to please contact their local police station. In many school vandalism cases, it is persons from that very community that are responsible.”
Anyone wanting to help the school can contact Mr Smith at 021 565 0830 or drydenps@gmail.com.
