The founder of Sweetpea Youth Development Training Centre has expressed shock at the vandalism that took place at Worshippers of Christ Ministries in Zola, where the centre conducts its operations.
Thieves broke into the facility by forcing open the windows and the door before ransacking the place. They broke the pulpit, cut the cables and threw chairs all over the floor.
The damage was picked up on Wednesday 8 June when a cleaner went to open before the start of the day’s programme.
Opened in April this year, the centre caters for youth between the ages of 16 and 30. It operates from Monday to Friday, training youth on jewellery making, design, hand landscaping, business management, fishing and agriculture.
Nomonde Kondile, founder, said they were perplexed by the incident. “We were all shocked to arrive with our training centre vandalised in this manner. From our understanding there’s nothing stolen other than things being ransacked,” she said.
“We noted that the suspects opened the window and the door was also forced open. Chairs were thrown to the ground, with pulpit broken and electric cables cut off”.
Kondile said they wanted to do good towards youth development in the community, but the suspects had other ideas.
Kondile said at the church, which they use to run their training centre, she has heard this was the first time they experience something of this nature.
Station Commander of Lwandle, Col Xolani Williams confirmed the incident.
“A business burglary has been opened on this matter and no arrest has yet been made,” he said.