Prohibited items, including cannabis, cocaine, and replicas of firearms, were discovered during police raids on schools. Consequently, the KwaZulu-Natal Parents Association has demanded stricter penalties, including imprisonment for students who brought banned items to school.
Chairperson Vee Gani put forward these demands after police, in collaboration with a private security company, found illegal items at a school in Pinetown. Similar checks are being conducted in educational institutions across the country.
Discovery of Prohibited Substances in Schools
The Excellerate Security K9 unit reported that a joint school safety operation, conducted by the Pinetown Social Crime Police in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders, resulted in the seizure of prohibited substances and items during a drug awareness campaign at a local school.
According to Excellerate, this initiative is part of an ongoing program aimed at educating students about the dangers of drug abuse, crime, and owning dangerous weapons, as well as creating a safer educational environment.
Pinetown Police stated that several classrooms were searched. Among the confiscated items were packets of cannabis, cigarettes, vapes, white powder, presumed cocaine, and a replica firearm.
Operations in Gauteng
On August 4, the Orange Farms Police Station conducted an operation against the possession of dangerous weapons, use of psychoactive substances, banditry, and other criminal activities in schools. During this operation, two suspects were arrested after being detained with crystal methamphetamine.
Orange Farms Station Commander, Brigadier Mashole Manamela, reported that the police also seized cannabis, sharp tools, scissors, cigarettes, dining forks, and matches. Manamela urged community members to report suspicious or criminal activity in and around schools, emphasizing that community cooperation is crucial for creating a safe learning environment.
The police strongly recommended that the public actively combat drug abuse, school violence, vandalism, and illegal initiation schools.
Alcohol Discovery in Tshwane
Alcohol was discovered during a police raid at a school in Tshwane. The Tshwane District Director, Major General Samuel Thine, stated that SAPS Ekangala, in collaboration with the Community Policing Forum (CPF), Ekangala Patrols, and the Department of Public Safety, visited the August 8 Specialization School.
The raid was organized to ensure the safety of students and staff in Tshwane district schools. He noted: 'The main objective of the operation was to search the school premises for dangerous weapons, illegal drugs, and other prohibited items that could endanger the safety of students and teachers.'
During the search, the police seized dangerous weapons, cigarettes, and bottles of alcohol, including small bottles of vodka. The police proceeded to a residential house believed to be linked to alcohol sales. Upon arrival, officers met an elderly woman who identified herself as the mother of a person allegedly involved in alcohol sales. She stated that she did not know about her son's involvement in selling alcohol and added that he was not at the house at the time,' Thine reported.
SAPS will continue to conduct intelligence operations in schools and communities to remove dangerous and prohibited items from environments where they may pose a threat to youth. Thine appealed to parents, guardians, educators, students, and community members to cooperate closely with SAPS and other relevant stakeholders to create a safe learning environment.
Demand for Harsher Punishment
Gani noted that the discovered items are expected, as most schools lack budgets, funding, or resources to ensure top-tier safety. He mentioned that each school's code of conduct is provided to parents and students, outlining rules of behavior and general norms. He stressed that schools across the country face the problem of prohibited items.
He stated: 'Contraband can easily infiltrate because there is no security. The discovered items are absolutely illegal. When they bring prohibited things into school, it endangers many other children. If you bring a firearm or drugs into school, every child is in danger. We have heard stories of how drug dealers try to push drug sales through schoolchildren.'
Gani also noted that teachers will only check children's bags if there is suspicion. He pointed out that schools do not have the resources to solve this problem, and the police are not adequately staffed to conduct regular raids in all schools within their jurisdiction. He called on the Ministry of Education and SAPS to adopt a zero-tolerance policy.
'When the police come, criminal cases must be opened. We have become too lenient with children who break the law. Where there is bullying and assault, we must have a zero-tolerance policy,' said Gani. He called for the suspension of children caught with drugs, dealing them, or consuming them.
'We must enforce the law consistently and decisively; then we will get the desired results. Make the punishment so severe that students think twice before violating school rules. It is necessary to convey the consequences to the children. We must fight crime the way it should be done. It's not that children don't know what to take, but what not to take. They endanger everyone,' concluded Gani.