Two men arrested in connection with Limpopo school burglaries

Limpopo police have recovered laptops and WiFi routers, thought to have been stolen during school burglaries, when arresting two men.

Officers in Thohoyandou on Friday arrested two men - aged 22 and 27 - and recovered five laptops and two WiFi routers. The goods are suspected to have been stolen during recent burglaries at Tshishonga Primary School and Mphaphuli Secondary School, said police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo

"Community members alerted the police about the presence of two men who were in possession of suspected stolen properties in the Thohoyandou CBD. They then reacted swiftly and pounced on them. One of the suspects was found in possession of four laptops and the other was possessing two WiFi routers and one laptop," Mojapelo said.

In a separate case, another two suspects - Rose Vurangu, 23, and Shadukani Mabila, 26 - were denied bail on Friday in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court after appearing for possession of computers and laptops that are also believed to have been stolen from Tshishonga Primary School.

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Investigations to link the suspects to burglaries at various schools in the area were ongoing, said Mojapelo.

The area has not been the only one affected by school burglaries. More than 1 500 schools throughout the country have been burgled, torched or vandalised since the start of the lockdown, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga revealed this week.

The number of schools targeted has spiked by more than 500 since April 30. At the time, the minister said 962 schools had been damaged or burgled across the country.

Addressing the nation on Tuesday, Motshekga said 1 577 schools had been broken into, with 463 in KwaZulu-Natal and 336 in Gauteng.