A South African school has completely disappeared after thieves removed every single one of its bricks. Uitzig Secondary School, in Cape Town, has been reduced to its foundations within six months of closing in 2019. The people who ransacked the once proud institution took every brick, window, roof tile along with all the toilets, electrics, plumbing and blackboards. They reportedly sold the bricks for 50c (2.5p) each and windows for R100 (£5) each. Locals speculate that they were “junkies who robbed the school bit by bit so they could sell all the materials for enough money to make ends meet.” The school formerly had a large entrance and reception area, five classroom blocks and two toilet areas. But things went downhill when “drug gangs took over the area”, said one former carer. The man, who declined to be named for fear of gang reprisals, added: “Students were scared and there was just constant vandalism. The school was destroyed and eventually closed completely. Locals said drug gangs had ‘destroyed’ the school (Image: Jamie Pyatt News Ltd/Facebook) The school became too dangerous for pupils and staff (Image: Jamie Pyatt News Ltd) “I’m not kidding when I say that the day after it closed, thieves came in and robbed the school brick by brick and window by window until it was all gone. “There was nothing left but the concrete floors where the buildings used to be and now it’s just an abandoned open space where bad people hang out.” Google Earth images taken a few years apart show the stark difference in how the school has changed. Former pupil Lorna Balata-Peters said: “My sports memorabilia was on the walls and it all disappeared along with the walls themselves and the roofs and the windows and even the bricks.” Scavenger John Isaacs, who once attended the school and then sent his children there, said: “We don’t know who stole the school, but drugs destroyed it.” The Western Cape Department of Education said the school had to be closed due to “gangsterism and vandalism”.
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A spokesman said: “We provided security guards and barbed wire but still gangs and vandals were coming in and threatening teachers and even guards. “We ended up spending so much money on repairs to keep Uitzig going, it became pointless and drained resources from our other schools. “There was so much damage by locals to the infrastructure that an engineering report said it was a danger to students and teachers. “Within days of the school closing its gates and despite security being left behind, members of the community broke in and stole what was left.” Crime is rife in all South African schools, with many requiring 24-hour security to protect students and staff. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
