[PICTURES] Gauteng school safety blitz sees dagga, cigarettes, weapons confiscated

The Gauteng Department of Community Safety and the SAPS visited Reiger Park and Oos Rand Secondary schools in Ekurhuleni on Monday to conduct school searches. 

Dagga, illegal cigarettes, and dangerous weapons such as scissors and knives were confiscated from pupils.

In addition, on the 23rd of January, the police received a tip-off from pupils while they were conducting a raid at a school in Kwa-Thema that a 51-year-old is allegedly involved in selling dagga to school children.

"The police acted swiftly to effect the arrest after he was found in possession of dagga," said the Department in a post on social media.

HOD for Community Safety, Yoliswa Makhasi has called on all stakeholders to intensify school safety in the province. 

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“It is important that all stakeholders with an interest in safety should come together to create a conducive learning and teaching environment," she said. 

"The time has come to enhance classroom teaching and learner performance. All these can be made possible only when discipline is instilled amongst our learners and educators are respected at all costs,” said Makhasi. 

Gauteng schools are grappling with increasing disciplinary issues, while at the same time society is struggling to understand the complex factors that are creating this unruly behaviour amongst pupils, said the Department. 

Makhasi urged law enforcement agencies to work around the clock to change the status quo. 

“We are intensifying our efforts to rid our schools of incidents of violence such as bullying, physical violence, and sexual abuse.  The random unannounced visits to schools is one such way of dealing with this scourge,"said Makhasi.