More than 109 prohibited and potentially dangerous items have been seized during an unannounced operation at three high schools in Alexandra, Johannesburg, as Gauteng authorities step up efforts to combat drugs, weapons and violence in schools.
The South African Police Service-led operation targeted East Bank High School, Realogile High School and Alexandra High School.
Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile said learners found in possession of illegal weapons or substances should face criminal consequences where the evidence supports such action.
Speaking during the operation at East Bank High School, Maile said the discovery of bullets, knives and other potentially dangerous objects could not be treated as an ordinary disciplinary matter.
“They must be arrested. They are going to be charged,” Maile said, stressing that firearms-related ammunition, knives and other illegal items had no place in schools.
He instructed the principal to provide a report identifying learners linked to the confiscated items and to outline the steps the school intended to take.
Drugs, vapes and weapons found during searches
At East Bank High School, approximately 40 items were confiscated.
These included eight disposable vapes, cigarettes, three suspected dagga joints, grinders, eight sachets containing a green leafy substance believed to be dagga, scissors, folding knives or multi-tools and pieces of broken glass.
More than 41 items were recovered at Realogile High School. Among them were seven disposable vapes, pieces of glass or mirrors, scissors and matchboxes.
Officials also recovered more than 20 muffins or cupcakes. These will be examined to establish whether they contain prohibited substances.
At Alexandra High School, police seized 28 items, including disposable vapes, sachets containing substances suspected to be dagga, matchboxes, broken glass and a folding multi-tool equipped with a knife and pliers.
A spanner and an improvised metal tool were also among the items recovered.
Across the three schools, authorities found 14 sachets containing suspected dagga and three suspected dagga joints, as well as knives, tools, glass fragments, scissors, cigarettes, vapes, matchboxes and grinders.
Maile said the searches formed part of wider provincial efforts to address substance abuse, violence, gangsterism and dangerous weapons in schools.
He said schools needed to remain safe environments where learners could study without being exposed to criminal activity.
Discipline and academic performance also under scrutiny
The MEC also raised concerns about discipline and leadership at East Bank High School.
During his visit, he said he found staff members in the staff room during school hours while learners were outside classrooms.
“There’s a problem of discipline in this school. There’s a problem of leadership,” Maile said.
The department intends to continue conducting unannounced searches as part of efforts to strengthen discipline and protect schools.
The MEC also linked some of the problems at East Bank to wider social pressures in the surrounding community. The school has previously experienced incidents in which learners allegedly damaged and burned furniture.
Academic performance has also become a concern.
East Bank recorded an 83% pass rate last year, but its mid-year assessment results have fallen to approximately 60%. Maile said the decline raised questions about whether the school would be able to maintain its previous performance.
The education department plans to engage with parents, learners and teachers and introduce targeted interventions aimed at improving both discipline and academic outcomes.
Maile said cooperation between the education authorities, SAPS, parents, school governing bodies and communities would remain important.
The latest operation forms part of a broader attempt to address safety risks in Gauteng schools, with authorities seeking to ensure that educational institutions remain places of teaching and learning rather than environments where drugs, weapons and other prohibited items can circulate.