KZN Parents Association calls for stricter penalties for students carrying illegal items

The KwaZulu-Natal Parents Association is pushing for stricter disciplinary measures, potentially including jail sentences, for students found with illegal items at school. Chairperson Vee Gani made this demand after police and a private security company uncovered illicit items at a Pinetown school recently. Additional raids are occurring across schools nationwide.

The Pinetown SAPS, in collaboration with local law enforcement and community stakeholders, recently conducted a safety operation that led to the seizure of drugs and prohibited items during a drug awareness campaign. The initiative aims to educate students about the dangers of drug abuse, crime, and possessing dangerous weapons while fostering a safer learning environment.

Police found items such as dagga, cigarettes, a vape, white powder possibly cocaine, and a replica firearm during searches in classrooms. In August, the SAPS Orange Farms Policing Precinct arrested two suspects for possessing crystal methamphetamine and confiscated dagga, sharp instruments, scissors, cigarettes, table forks, and matches.

The Orange Farms Station Commander, Brigadier Mashole Manamela, urged community members to report suspicious activities near schools and emphasized the importance of community cooperation for safer learning environments. Similarly, in Tshwane, Major-General Samuel Thine announced a police raid at the School of Specialisation to ensure learner and staff safety.

Police confiscated dangerous weapons, cigarettes, and alcohol, including small bottles of vodka. Thine appealed for parents, guardians, educators, learners, and community members to collaborate with SAPS and other stakeholders to create secure learning environments. Gani acknowledged that many schools lack resources for robust security, with codes of conduct handed to parents and students outlining acceptable behavior.

He called for a zero-tolerance policy from the Department of Education and SAPS, with criminal charges laid against students breaking the law. Gani emphasized that suspending students caught with drugs, distributing or consuming them would serve as a deterrent, making the consequences clear and emphasizing the need to address school crime effectively.