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Eyewitness News
05-08-2025
- Eyewitness News
How to combat the spike in school burglaries in the Western Cape?
R1 million in repairs. The Western Cape Education (WCED) is counting the cost of what it says is an increase in the number of incidents of school burglaries and vandalism over the recent holiday. The Department said the number climbed from 45 last year to 57 this year. Western Cape Provincial Minister of Education, David Maynier, said: "Funding will now have to be diverted from educational activities because of the selfish actions of criminals." He added that even though the crimes were minor in nature, they impacted the everyday functionality of schools. Clive Arries, the Principal of West End Primary School says:
IOL News
04-08-2025
- IOL News
Burglary and vandalism cost Western Cape schools R1 million during holidays
School burglary and vandalism has increased in the province. Image: file The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) will have to cough-up over R1 million after a spate of burglaries and vandalism at schools during the June/July holiday. The province recorded 57 incidents of burglary and vandalism at 46 schools during the winter break, while education watchdogs and authorities are calling for stricter policing and priority investigations. Education MEC, David Maynier, said the incidents were a significant increase compared to last year, when 45 incidents took place at 39 schools. He said property such as fencing, electrical wiring and computers were either vandalised or burgled. 'School properties are at particular risk of burglary and vandalism during school holidays, which is why the WCED subsidised holiday security at 424 schools in high-risk areas during the winter holidays,' he said. 'Despite this investment, 57 incidents of burglary and vandalism at 46 schools were reported during the June/July holiday period. This is a significant increase from the same period in 2024, when 45 incidents affecting 39 schools were reported. 'Most of these incidents were minor in nature, but nonetheless have an impact on the daily functioning of our schools. "Items stolen or damaged include building fixtures and fencing, electrical wiring, food and cooking facilities for school meals, sports equipment, computers and other electrical equipment, plumbing features, and a variety of school consumables. 'The estimated cost of repairing or replacing damaged and stolen items is over R1 million, which is unacceptable in the difficult financial circumstances the sector currently faces. Funding will now have to be diverted from educational activities because of the selfish actions of criminals.' Maynier said keeping schools safe required the support of communities, and quick reporting in apprehending perpetrators and retrieving stolen goods. Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC, Anroux Marais, also expressed concern over the increase in criminal activity, saying: 'Stealing from our schools is stealing from our children, and we urge any member of the public with information about these crimes to come forward immediately. We further urge SAPS to prioritise investigation of crimes in and around our schools, so that together we can keep our school properties safe.' National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (Naptosa) Western Cape chairperson, Yasierah Adonis, called on policing into such matters to be prioritised.
Mail & Guardian
30-07-2025
- Science
- Mail & Guardian
Inquiry-Based training for natural sciences and mathematics teachers in Eden and Central Karoo education district, Western Cape
Advancing Knowledge NPC (AK NPC) rounded off its 2025 training programme in inquiry-based STEM education training in George for grades 6-9 natural sciences and mathematics teachers that served to prepare teachers for the practical and experimental (inquiry-based) work to be completed during a particular school term. This project was a partnership between AK NPC and Inkcubeko Youth & Science Centre supported by the curriculum division of the WCED Eden and Central Karoo Education District. The AK NPC programme had its opening 2-day training session in February 2025 for both natural sciences and mathematics – life sciences in natural science and whole numbers, fractions, integers and exponents in mathematics which form the part of curriculum content addressed in the first school term. On 11 and 12 April 2025 the second term content were addressed namely the chemistry component in natural sciences, and numeric and geometric patterns, functions and relations in grade 6-9 mathematics. On 25 and 26 July, the last part of the 2025 natural science and mathematics programme was conducted at the conference venues of the Eden and Central Karoo Head Office in George. A total of 43 teachers attended the natural science session and 34 teachers participated in mathematics. The training approach adopted and agreed upon by the partnership is directed at providing teachers with inquiry skills to effectively allow learners to think practically about the two subjects. The head of the Inkcubeko Youth and Science Centre, Mr Innocent Ndlovu did the official welcoming while Prof Hartley, Director of AK NPC encouraged teachers to ensure that they inculcate the inquiry-based skills in their everyday lessons. The Eden & Central Karoo Education District was represented by subject advisors Mr Keenan Rasmus and Ms Memory Dhiza who motivated teachers to fully participate in the natural science and mathematics sessions respectively. PLANET EARTH & BEYOND (ASTRONOMY) AS A FOCUS AREA OF THE NATURAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM The astronomy session was conducted on Friday 25 July 2025 and facilitated by the effervescent Mark Ogilvie and Andrew Firth, a doctoral student in Astronomy. Facilitators were supported by AK NPC staff Saadiqah Fraden (science intern) and Melissa Petersen (Projects Coordinator). Teachers were guided through a journey that started on Planet Earth and included the various components of our solar system, the Milky Way and nearby galaxies in the universe. Teachers were provided with hands-on activities and teaching resources to determine, amongst others the phases and positions of the moon, the effect of the moon on tides and seasons, sedimentation rock formation on earth, developing pressurised rockets and Mars Rover activities. Software that provided teachers with detailed understanding of the planets in the solar system with content they could easily use in their lessons was loaded on their laptops. Teachers were constructively engaged through inquiry-based activities in a hands-on creative space provided by the facilitators. The interactive nature of the sessions were specifically developed to allow teachers to ask questions but also to be able to try the activities out on their own. Many teachers stayed behind to interact with the facilitators to further understand the application of the teaching resources so that they could apply it in their astronomy lessons. ENERGY & CHANGE (PHYSICS) AS A FOCUS AREA OF NATURAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM The energy and change session were conducted on Saturday 26 July 2025 and facilitated by the experienced Robert Solomon supported by the AK NPC staff. Teachers were guided from elementary experiments and investigative activities which they could directly apply in their energy and change lessons including developing a compass, energy transfers (convection, conduction and radiation), forces, electricity and electromagnetism. The application of everyday substances as teaching resources to illustrate the concepts, principles and theories in physics resonated with teachers as they keenly and enthusiastically participated in the practical activities of curriculum content. Teachers were provided with hands-on examples of readily available resources and alternative (to the textbook) ways of teaching energy changes (potential, kinetic, electrical) and forces including the aspects of forces that play a role in everyday life. Teachers were challenged with scenarios of cells and batteries, components of electric circuits where they had to draw circuits, build electric circuits, make predictions and test whether their predictions were correct. APPLYING INQUIRY-BASED STRATEGIES IN THE TEACHING OF MATHEMATICS The Mathematics course was conducted in parallel to natural science on 25 and 26 July 2025 by two experienced facilitators, Dr Victor Hess and Dr Clyde Felix supported by AK NPC staff. The course content covered for the third and fourth term of intersen phase included Geometry of straight lines and 2D shapes, transformation geometry, graphs, area and perimeter of 2D shapes, and surface area and volume of 3D objects. The facilitators went to great lengths to provide a safe and engaging environment in which teachers could present their approaches to teaching the above content and have a discussion of the inquiry-based strategies that could be applied as an alternative to consider. Facilitators worked within the teachers' parameters of workload, time and class sizes to carefully craft inquiry-based approaches when engaging with the content. Each section of the term's mathematics content were deliberated to allow teachers' their perspectives on including inquiry skills into their lessons. The following are some of the perceptions of natural science teachers expressed after the course: I really enjoyed this course on energy and change. I am currently teaching this part of the work and it came at the right time. The fact we could use products that is readily available helps a lot. I am glad I came to this course. [Teacher]. Both sessions on astronomy and energy and change are very helpful as it gives me the confidence to do practical work with the learners. Nothing was scary about this course, we just learned, and learned and learned. I recorded all the practicals and will definitely implement it in my lessons. [Teacher] As a former biology teacher who is new to natural science, the course reminded of the importance of practical or inquiry teaching for our learners. I was pleasantly surprised by how the astronomy content can be tackled practically. Learners will definitely be impressed with the type of activities they will be doing in the last term [Teacher] I am encouraging teachers to make a start with the activities that they received here. Its more about getting learners excited and interested in science. [Science Subject Advisor]. The following are some of the reflections of mathematics teachers after the course: My colleagues and I found out about the course by accident. This was an important course for us as we could share some of our frustrations and learn from each other and the facilitators on how to tackle the maths content in our big classes. [Teacher] The course resolved some of my challenges in teaching the mathematics content. One thing I enjoyed was how to save some time to concentrate on those aspects of mathematics that continue from intermediate to senior up to FET phase. [Teacher] I initially indicated that I wanted to give up on teaching mathematics at my school. I have gained some belief back by our discussion of how to approach some of the content to allow learners to grasp the content better. These inquiry-based strategies are very interesting. [Teacher] I am glad so many mathematics teachers heeded my request to attend the course. I listened to some of them and have a better understanding of the needs of teachers and to provide different strategies to make the work more interesting.
News24
21-07-2025
- Sport
- News24
SA soccer players stranded in Portugal, FlySafair's woes: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day. Graphic: Sharlene Rood News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature. R135m school project crumbles as Joburg chief whip faces 'construction mafia' allegations - Sithembiso Zungu, Johannesburg Council's chief whip, is accused of using his position to halt construction projects through coercion and extortion, demanding 'facilitation fees' and dictating local business involvement. - Zungu defied interdicts, leading to a two-month prison sentence for disrupting a housing project, and is accused of stalling a R135-million school refurbishment project by demanding payments to businesses linked to his ward's business forum. - Zungu denies the 'construction mafia' allegations, blaming his detractors for trying to tarnish his name and claiming the contractor failed to complete the school refurbishment. Cape Town parents demand refund after paying 'fees' at a no-fee school - Parents at Edison Century City High School are angry after discovering they've been paying R1 500 annual fees to what is officially a no-fee school since 2023. - Parents claim they were pressured into paying, some SGB members who raised concerns were ostracised, and they are demanding refunds. - The WCED confirms the school is no-fee, stating the R1 500 was introduced as a voluntary donation by the SGB to improve the quality of education, and parents were informed of the school's status. 25 stranded teen soccer players 'safe' in Portugal as Dirco tries to facilitate return - A group of 25 South African soccer players, aged 13-18, are stranded in Portugal after attending the Donosti Cup in Spain, as their return flights were not secured. - The players' parents each paid R50 000 for the trip, but logistical issues with flight reservations left them without confirmed return tickets. - The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) is aware of the situation and is exploring ways to assist, while BT Academy claims visa appointment delays impacted flight arrangements. Sandton businessman arrested for DJ Sumbody hit - It is understood that Katiso 'KT' Molefe has been arrested in connection with the murder of DJ Sumbody. - Molefe and others are already awaiting trial for the murder of Armand Swart. - Two of Molefe's co-accused also face charges related to an attempted murder of Tebogo Thobejane. FlySafair scraps flights amid wage strike, says pilots earn up to R2.3m already - FlySafair confirmed that 8% of its flights were cancelled on Monday due to pilots reporting they would not fly. - More than 200 FlySafair pilots are expected to strike for two weeks after rejecting the airline's wage agreement offer. - Solidarity is advocating for industry-competitive salaries and has raised concerns about changes to the roster system impacting pilots' leave. Carl Fourie/Gallo Images Oldest living Springbok dies at 96 - Des van Jaarsveldt, the oldest living Springbok and captain of the team in his only Test match, has died at the age of 96. - Van Jaarsveldt captained the Springboks to victory against Scotland in 1960 and was the only Rhodesian to ever captain the team. - The SA Rugby Legends Association paid tribute to Van Jaarsveldt, acknowledging his profound impact on the game and his continued support. Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images via Getty Images Miss SA in trouble? Pageant postponed after CEO exit and shaky plans - Miss South Africa 2025 has been postponed from August to a later date in 2025 to align with international events. - The Miss South Africa organisation aims to broaden the pageant's reach by expanding its pillars to include entrepreneurship, job creation, cultural awareness, and social cohesion. - The postponement follows the resignation of CEO Stephanie Weil, leading to fan speculation about the reasons behind the changes and potential impact on Miss Universe 2025 participation.
IOL News
17-07-2025
- IOL News
Principal allegedly shielded accused sex pest teacher, court reveals
The principal of Harvester Primary School is under investigation after she allegedly obstructed and defeated the ends of justice. Image: Supplied The principal of Harvester Primary School is under investigation after she allegedly obstructed and defeated the ends of justice following the arrest of a former teacher for sexual grooming of a child and exposing a child to explicit material. Police spokesperson, FC van Wyk, said: 'This office can confirm that a criminal case docket is being investigated in which the school principal is the subject. The charges as outlined by the Directorate of Public Prosecution are obstructing and defeating the ends of justice and contravention of Section 54 of Sexual Offences Act 32 of 2007 - failing to report that a child is a victim of sexual offence.' The investigation follows after the 35-year-old former Grade R teacher was caught after she allegedly sent an explicit video of herself to a Grade 7 learner. She is currently appearing in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court on charges of sexual grooming of a child and exposing a child to explicit material. The court previously heard a testimony from the investigating officer in the case, Warrant Officer Roland Peters, who said the case was reported to Lentegeur police station on June 9. The court heard that he went to the school on June 10, when the principal allegedly said she was made aware of the allegations by a concerned parent of an explicit dirty video sent by the teacher on June 4. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Peters said the principal went to the house of the victim on June 6 to collect the cellphone to gather evidence on the allegations, however, the court heard that she did not report the matter to SAPS but rather the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). Peters said she told him she felt it was not her responsibility to report it to the police as she had already informed the WCED. The court heard that on June 12, Peters returned to the school and informed the principal that they were going to arrest the teacher; however, she informed them that the teacher was doing administration work at the WCED regional offices. She then informed police officials to meet her at the WCED regional offices. Peters said: 'We waited for a half an hour and the principal did not arrive. We then entered the building and we spoke to the manager who informed us that he had just returned back from dropping off the [teacher] at a family member's house in Strandfontein. He was given information by the principal to remove [the teacher] from the premises as there was protest action… From there we proceeded to the Strandfontein address, but did not find the teacher.' The court heard that police officials were given an address in Athlone where they found the accused at her home and arrested her. The matter against the principal is still under investigation while the teacher is awaiting her bid for bail. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
