The Carel du Toit Centre in Parow is appealing for public donations following break-ins in which equipment and educational toys, valued at more R20 000, were stolen.
An air conditioner at the back of the centre and the toys and books were stolen during the first break-in on Friday June 4, at 4am.
A second break-in followed on Monday June 7, at 6.30am
Carel du Toit Trust spokeswoman Lynn Cloete, said: “We have live footage from our cameras on the second break-in, but we aren’t exactly sure what the robber stole.
“He did, however, cause damage to the property by breaking through the windows. At the moment, we’ve been raising funds to put up spikes right around the school and to replace the gate.”
In the second break-in, the perpetrators got in through a broken window, according to Parow police spokesman Captain Kevin Williams.
“The suspects are currently unknown and are still on the run. We suspect that the robbery may have been carried out by a group of two to three men,” he said.
Ms Cloete added that no-one was present or injured at the time when the break-ins took place.
On Tuesday June 8, a security guard was confronted by an intruder who escaped before the guard could apprehend him, said the centre’s principal Adri Hodgson.
There are about 120 hearing-impaired children at the centre with 60% of them coming from poor households. All of them wear hearing-supportive devices that need regular maintenance.
Asked if any of the children’s hearing devices or equipment was stolen, Ms Cloete said: “I think some of the items that were stolen would form part of the equipment that they would need for their hearing. We also can’t put a value on all the materials that were stolen as some of the equipment and educational toys was there for many years.”
For more information, contact Lynn Cloete at 060 734 6377.