Langa community centre ransacked, roof stripped

Thieves caused major damage to a community centre in Langa at the weekend, ransacking the offices and kitchen and stripping the roof.

The burglary at the centre has caused the community-based 
programmes that were being run there to come to a halt.

Nomvula Mtetwa, director of the Community Plough Back Movement, said she did not have the money to replace the stolen property, which was worth tens of thousands of rand.

She said programmes like sewing, food and environmental awareness, performing arts and jewellery beading would have to come to a stop for now. 

Mtetwa’s students reported the vandalism when they went to rehearsals yesterday. She said the money to repair and replace the stolen property would have been used to enhance the programmes offered. 

“What a terrible way to start a week? The centre has been totally vandalised including the roof, burglar bars, chairs. It seems no one saw or heard anything. 

“The people who did this are selfish because the centre is helping young people enhance their skills. I am shaking. 

“What happened here pains not only me but the rest of the group. We are appealing to anyone who has heard or seen what happened, to contact the police. 

“People should also stop buying stolen goods because if people were not buying stolen property thieves would not have a market,” said Mtetwa.

She said it was not known when exactly the burglary occurred over the weekend.

Bulelani Msengeni, one of the performing arts students, said he arrived at a ransacked centre yesterday morning.

“Most of the stolen stuff was from the kitchen. We will not be able to operate our programmes because of what happened. This is our home and what happened is upsetting,” he said.