Unresolved burglaries worry organisation
ALEXANDRA - Alexandra Development Centre which has been robbed several times has tightened its guard by upgrading its security system.
Alexandra Development Centre, which has been robbed several times, has tightened its guard by upgrading its security system. This after two robberies this year, two last year and one in 2008 remain unresolved.
Director Mabel Dikobe said they resigned to the losses of the previous year where computers for a computer training project for locals were stolen and replaced by their insurance. This year there was a break in and again computers were stolen. The other robbery happened at their recycling project in 2008 where staff were held at gun point and personal items stolen. The incidents were reported to the police.
Dikobe said the centre followed up on investigations of this year’s robberies with the police in September and were advised to wait for the investigating officer’s feedback. She added that they had also approached patrollers of the community police forum who showed interest, but they too were unable to track the culprits. She said they were lucky that only assets were lost and no lives were harmed in all the incidents. Her worry is that, due to the risk level, they may be declined insurance cover if their security is again breached and items stolen.
Her further concern is that the theft is of public goods including computers and printers for use by community members in learning or upgrading their computer skills, drafting CVs, application letters for employment and for photocopying. She said that after every theft, the insurance payouts are reduced and they have had to augment through fundraising in order to acquire the number of computers wanted. It may be difficult to raise enough money for the 20 computers required for their classes. Some of their former trainees have qualified and got jobs in various places.
Dikobe said, “We are lucky that our main funder, the Department of Social Development, sympathises with our plight but this may not be for long as anyone could loose patience and decline contributing to a good cause when their inputs are always stolen.”
Despite the losses, Dikobe is still upbeat about their work which she said empowered those who can’t afford private institutions with skills to improve their lives. Its other service is training refrigeration technicians who are absorbed by local supermarkets and traders.
