Dagga, nyaope and abortion pills found after 17 Gauteng schools raided

Dagga, nyaope and abortion pills were among items found in the possession of pupils during the latest search-and-seizure operations at Gauteng schools, as the education department beefs up efforts to make schools safer by removing drugs and other prohibited items from school premises.

Five schools were searched on Wednesday, bringing the number of schools targeted in the ongoing operations to 17.

The latest searches were conducted at schools in Mabopane and Soshanguve, north of Pretoria. The schools are: Baleseng Junior Secondary School, Tiyelelani Secondary School, Ngaka Maseko Secondary School, Holy Trinity Secondary School and FR Smangaliso Mkhatshwa Secondary School.

According to the Gauteng department of education, a substantial amount of dagga was found in the possession of a female pupil.

The discovery raised suspicion that the drugs may have been intended for distribution.

In a separate incident, another pupil who was found with small packets of dagga allegedly told authorities he had been recruited by a local drug dealer to sell the drugs.

Nyaope and abortion pills were also found during the search.

Gauteng education MEC Lebogang Maile said the discoveries were concerning, as was the alleged recruitment of pupils to sell drugs. “Our children must never be used as instruments for criminal activity. Those who target learners and use them to distribute drugs are attacking the future of our communities.”

The operations are being led by the SAPS as part of wider school-safety interventions by the Gauteng department of education.

The latest searches follow a series of operations that Maile began earlier in August, where he led a search at Badirile Secondary School in Khutsong, Carletonville, following concerns about crime and violence at the school. A knife, fork, vapes and sachets of suspected dagga were found during that operation.

The searches continued later in August, including operations in Alexandra at East Bank High School, Realogile High School and Alexandra High School, where, overall, police seized items including suspected dagga, vapes, cigarettes, scissors, glass shards and knives.

Maile said the operations formed part of the department’s “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” programme, which aims to bring parents, communities, law enforcement agencies, school governing bodies and government together to improve the safety of pupils.

“It takes a village to raise a child. Schools cannot confront these challenges alone.

“Parents, communities, law enforcement agencies, school governing bodies and government must work together to protect our children and ensure that schools remain safe and conducive environments for learning,” he said.

The department said the search-and-seizure operations would continue as it worked to prevent drugs, dangerous weapons and other prohibited items from entering Gauteng schools.

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