Police Advise Schools To Bank Fees To Curb Robberies
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has advised school authorities against storing large amounts of cash on their premises ahead of the school opening on January 14.
Instead of banking the fees, most schools keep the cash in their safes, leading to armed robberies involving guns, machetes, and iron bars as schools reopen and parents pay fees.
In an interview with The Herald, ZRP spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi urged schools to improve security measures on their premises and to deposit cash in financial institutions. Said Nyathi:
We urge school authorities to step up security measures at schools and employ guards from reputable security service providers who can constantly monitor and review deployments. Above all, school authorities should install CCTV at points of entry and administration offices.
He also recommended that schools implement systems allowing parents to deposit fees directly into banks, reducing the need to keep large sums of cash on-site.
There have been several cases of school robberies in Zimbabwe recently. In 2024 alone, at least seven schools experienced armed robberies within 18 days, with criminals targeting cash and valuables such as laptops and tablets.
In one incident, six men posing as parents at Warren Park 3 Primary School in Harare pointed a pistol at the headmaster and made off with US$1,500.
Another robbery at Sacred Heart College in Gweru saw five armed robbers stealing a substantial sum of US$15,886.
In Masvingo, a lone armed robber posing as a prospective parent for a Form 1 pupil stole over US$22,800 at gunpoint, along with two cellphones and two laptops.
A robbery at Lomagundi College in Chinhoyi involved 10 robbers attacking a security guard and the deputy head, stealing cash, a pistol, laptops, cellphones, and a Mazda Tribute vehicle. The robbers even blew open a safe containing the cash.
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