JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng Education Department says its crackdown on violence and gangsterism in schools is only just beginning.
Armed with a list of 245 high-risk schools, officials plan to roll out search-and-seizure operations across the province.
The first stop was Badirile Secondary School in Khutsong on Tuesday, where police and education officials uncovered drugs, weapons and other prohibited items.
Police and education officials searched classrooms, school bags and learners at Badirile Secondary School in Khutsong.
Among the items confiscated were knives, a panga, drugs, vapes and a fork.
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Authorities say the school has become synonymous with violence, gangsterism, poor discipline and absenteeism.
"Ten cases have been reported at the school from January to July this year. I don't want to divulge the cases that were opened, but it's serious for the school to have already 10-plus crimes from January until now," said police spokesperson Dorette Greyling.
"Among the confiscations was a knife, there was a fork that was found in the bathroom. Some of the learners were found in possession of dagga zols, as well as some sachets of dagga. There were vapes confiscated, so it was quite a successful operation."
A learner was also fatally stabbed at the school earlier this year, underscoring concerns about safety on the campus.
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Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile says restoring discipline is critical to creating safe learning environments.
"This is one of the schools that are very notorious. There are kids here who threaten teachers that they would call zama zamas and criminals to murder the educators. There are kids here who are gangsters," Maile said.
"Some of them, I have just checked their books. There is nothing. They are not coming to school. They are not learners. They come to school just to eat the food that is meant for the other learners, and they come to school to terrorise the other learners and the educators."
Officials say more search-and-seizure operations will follow in the coming weeks as part of efforts to remove weapons and drugs from schools and curb violence before it escalates.
- eNCA's Nabeelah Shaikh reports.