SCHOOL VIOLENCE: Under fire: Gun in a school backpack — why search-and-seizure operations aren’t enough
The arrest of two high school learners in Atlantis after an unlicensed firearm was found in a schoolbag adds a disturbing dimension to South Africa’s school violence crisis. But there is a broader question: how are firearms reaching learners? And what is being done to stop them?
Two high school students in Atlantis, South Africa, were arrested in August 2026 after a firearm was discovered in their backpacks. The firearm belonged to a deceased person, highlighting the issue of unsecured firearms ending up in children's hands. Upon learning of the incident, parents withdrew the students from Saxonsea Secondary School, preventing disciplinary action.
Similar incidents of firearms being found at schools have occurred before. In November 2025, two teenagers were arrested at a school in Macassar after police discovered modified imitation firearms and live ammunition. The Western Cape Education Department spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond, stated that while the majority of learners follow school rules, instances of weapons being brought to school do occur due to various reasons such as perceived self-protection or intimidation.
This problem is not new to South African schools. The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) warned in May 2025 that school safety was not a priority in the government's funding plans, despite schools being targeted for vandalism and robbery and learners bringing dangerous weapons onto school grounds. Additionally, in April 2026, the DA's Shadow MEC for Community Safety in the Eastern Cape, Yusuf Cassim, reported that 70 learners had been arrested for carrying firearms between 2021/22 and 2025/26, including 21 in the latest financial year. Police had recovered 46 firearms from schoolchildren during this period.
The question remains: how are firearms reaching learners, and what measures are being taken to prevent it? The sources suggest that firearms may be acquired through family members, criminal networks, or gang associates. Efforts to address this issue include search-and-seizure operations by police, increased security measures such as private guards and CCTV cameras, and the involvement of multiple agencies in provinces like Mpumalanga.
However, the underlying issue of criminal activity outside school grounds infiltrating school premises and potentially recruiting learners remains a significant concern.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
