A GANG of robbers on Saturday last week used explosives to blow the administration block at Tategulu Primary School in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo before gaining access to the school safe where they stole more than $1 300, police have confirmed.

The incident happened four days after schools had opened for the third term, when most parents had paid school fees at the Bulawayo City Council run institution.

Bulawayo provincial acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednego Ncube said police were still investigating the matter but warned schools to use banking institutions for payment of fees.

“We are investigating a case of robbery at Tategulu Primary School in Cowdray Park, where robbers used explosives to gain access to blow open a safe with money. We are, however, urging schools to take up facilities with banks instead of having fees paid at the schools resulting in them keeping large sums of money,” said Asst Insp Ncube.

BCC senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu also confirmed the incident adding that robbers overpowered the school’s guard before proceeding to the offices.

“The robbery took place on Saturday, 12 September. The school was guarded by an unarmed detail, there was a scuffle between the guard and the robbers and the robbers overcame the guard. A total of $1 302 was reported stolen and the administration block was extensively damaged from the explosives,” said Mrs Mpofu.

She said the guard was not injured during the robbery.

Mrs Mpofu said council has since put up several security measures at the school and other council run schools to improve security.

When a Sunday News crew visited the school on Thursday authorities barred it from taking pictures of the bombed building but the offices’ main door was seemingly broken down from the blast.

School officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said they suspected that the robbery was an inside job as the suspected robbers seemed to know their way around the school.

“Something smells fishy, normally all council schools bank their money at the end of day but clearly these people knew that on this particular day the school had not banked the money collected, this was clearly an inside job,” said the official. by Lackson Munkombwe. Source – sundaynews