Criminal caught with apparently stolen goods in Lwandle, Cape Town

• A suspect was caught with window frames believed to have been stolen from Lwandle Primary School.
• According to sources in the community, the suspect was found with new window frames in his house on Monday 13 November.
• The frames fitted the description of the ones stolen at the school earlier in the morning.

The Ward 86 councillor is appealing to residents to refrain from buying stolen items to eradicate crime in the community.

He was responding to a recent incident where a suspect was caught with window frames believed to have been stolen from Lwandle Primary School.

However, local police could not confirm the incident, while the Western Cape Department of Education (WCDE) indicated they were not willing to comment on the matter “at this stage”.

According to sources in the community, the suspect was found with new window frames in his house on Monday 13 November. The frames fitted the description of the ones stolen at the school earlier in the morning.

According to Xolani Diniso, the suspect was nabbed by patrollers a few minutes after allegedly stealing the frames at the construction site of Lwandle Primary School.

“The security guards noticed while they were busy doing their routine check before they knocked off after 04:00 that the window frames were missing. Immediately they informed the patrollers in the area who then made an appeal to the community to look for them (window frames),” said Diniso, adding that within 30 minutes they found the lead.

He said the patrollers went to the house and found the suspect with two frames.

Before the window frames were stolen.

School building left without window frames after the criminal stolen them.

Diniso said, according to the security guards, they saw the suspect passing by the school at about 02:00.

Diniso said he suspected that the culprit was going to sell them to the community.  

“I believe that the suspect had already had a buyer for those window frames. Because when we look at his house is complete. It doesn’t look like he was going to use on his house,” he said.

Diniso praised the community for quickly responding when there was an appeal. 

Kerry Mauchline, spokesperson for the Minister of Education in the Western Cape David Maynier, did not confirm or deny the incident. “We are unfortunately not able to comment on this matter at present,” said Mauchline. 

Sgt Mthokozisi Gama, Lwandle Police Station spokesperson, said no case is registered with the police.