ONGWEDIVA – The executive director for the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, has urged schools not to keep money on their premises, but to take it to the bank daily.
Steenkamp said this on Wednesday in reaction to an armed robbery that occurred at Onawa Secondary School in the Omusati region.
It is alleged that two laptops and N$40 000 cash were stolen from the school.
According to the police commander in Omusati, Ismael Basson, in the early hours of Wednesday, six suspects cut the fence of the school yard and attacked the security guard who was on duty.
It is alleged that suspects pointed guns and knives at the guard and threatened him.
Basson said they then tied the security guard’s arms and legs, and took him to the school office.
“They broke the office door to gain entrance. The security guard was lying on the floor, and was instructed to face in a different direction,” he narrated.
At around 05h00, the other security guard came to start his shift, but could not find his colleague in the room at the gate.
“He then went to patrol around the school. While passing by the office, his phone was playing music, and the security guard who was tied started screaming for help when he heard the sound of music,” said Basson.
Furthermore, Basson said when the colleague went into the office, he found him lying on the floor, and immediately notified the school principal.
The safe where money was kept was recovered at Epako village, but there was no money inside.
No suspect has been arrested yet, and the police investigation continues.
Police are appealing to the public and anyone with information regarding these suspects to immediately report to any nearest police station.