Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has revealed that she will be escalating the matter of extortion syndicates to Parliament as well as Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
This comes as the Eastern Cape has seen a sharp rise in extortion cases with the shooting of the principal of Zakhele Primary School in Kwabhaca, allegedly at the hands of extortionists.
It is alleged that the school principal had failed to pay extortionists a R50 000 protection fee.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika on Monday, Gwarube said the fact that extortion syndicates have infiltrated schools and other government departments in the Eastern Cape was both tragic and angering.
“It is absolutely tragic and angering to hear about this incident of this principal allegedly gunned down because of the protection fee.
“This is something that is not only limited to Kwabhaca. If you look at the past five years, you will realise that rural areas were almost insulated from the rise of the crime rate but now we are seeing that playing out in our schools. We know that the OR Tambo District is also experiencing this kind of crisis,’ she said.
Gwarube said even though her department is not a law enforcing department, it sees itself as a crucial role player in making schools safer for educators and learners.
“Obviously as a Department of Education we cannot say this is not our core business to keep communities safe, but we have to figure out how best we can start protecting not only 500 000 teachers in the system but also the millions of our learners in the 24 000 schools in our country.
“The reality is that I have to engage my counterpart, the minister of police, to say we have to have a targeted approach that looks at how do we protect our schools as places of safety,” she said.
Meanwhile in KwaZulu-Natal, it is reported that six suspects linked to extortion cases and multiple murders were shot and killed during a shoot-out with the police in South Beach, Durban, shortly before midnight on Monday.
KZN police revealed they had traced the suspects who had at the weekend shot five people, killing four of the victims execution-style on Siyaphambili Road in Tshelimnyama, Mariannhill.
Provincial police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said it was alleged that five men were seated on the side of the road drinking alcohol when the suspects, armed with pistols and a rifle, arrived in a vehicle and ordered them to lie down before shooting them in the back of their heads.
“We again commend the hard work of the SAPS members in this province. It was on the news that in the area of Marrianhill there was a shooting of five people, in fact, four them died on the scene and the other one is in the hospital.
“It is alleged that a vehicle stopped when these youngsters were sitting on the street in the middle of the night. The people in the vehicle came out of the car and made them lie on the road and shot them in the head,” he said.
The Star