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Thugs raid KZN schools, authorities can only watch

Mhlaba Memela

Mhlaba Memela

Schools in northern KwaZulu-Natal have become playgrounds for criminals who rob teachers at gunpoint in broad daylight.

Teachers from Ocilwane and Mendu primary schools in Empangeni are threatening to resign because they fear for their lives.

Last week a group of known criminals walked into both schools, threatened teachers with guns and robbed them of their cellphones, jewellery and money during a morning assembly.

Phila Ndimande, chairman of the governing body for Ocilwane Primary, said criminals who usually operated in the Empangeni city centre robbed the school because it is near an area of woodland where they can hide.

"The criminals hide next to the school and teachers are now the victims," he said.

Christi Naude, a spokesman for the KwaZulu-Natal department of education, said: "We know about the situation of these teachers but we have no funding to provide security at schools."

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