More than 100 prohibited items, including a blank bullet, suspected dagga, knives and vapes, were seized on August 19, when police and Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile carried out unannounced searches at three Alexandra high schools.

This was during the latest phase of a province-wide crackdown on schools aimed at rooting out dangerous weapons, drugs, gangsterism and other criminal activity from Gauteng classrooms.

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In Alexandra, the South African Police Service-led operation moved through three of Alexandra’s five high schools, including East Bank High School, Realogile High School and Alexandra High School, where officers recovered about 109 items across the three sites.

According to the Gauteng Department of Education, around 40 items were confiscated at East Bank High School. These included eight disposable vapes, cigarettes, three hand-rolled joints suspected to contain dagga, a sealed box of cigarettes, matchboxes, two grinders, eight sachets of a green leafy substance believed to be dagga, scissors, two folding knives or multi-tools, and glass shards.

At Realogile High School, officers confiscated more than 41 items. The department revealed that among these were were seven disposable vapes, six pieces of glass or mirror, scissors and matchboxes. Officers also recovered more than 20 muffins or cupcakes, which will be tested to determine whether they contain any prohibited substances, no findings have yet been confirmed.

Later at Alexandra High School, 28 items were seized, including five disposable vapes, six sachets of suspected dagga, matchboxes, large glass fragments, a folding multi-tool with a knife and pliers, a spanner, and an improvised metal tool.

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“The discovery of suspected drugs, knives, broken glass, scissors and potentially dangerous objects in our schools is deeply concerning. These items have absolutely no place in an environment intended for teaching and learning,” Maile said.

The Alexandra searches follow similar unannounced operations already carried out in Khutsong and Orange Farm, where the department said knives and illegal substances were also recovered. SAPS conducted Wednesday’s search in partnership with Gauteng Traffic Wardens and other law enforcement agencies, and the department has indicated further operations will follow at schools it has not yet named.

“The operations form part of the MEC’s commitment to regularly conduct and strengthen law enforcement interventions at schools to ensure that learners and educators can learn and work in safe and secure environments,” the department said.

Maile said the unannounced operations would continue, framing them as essential to protecting learners and educators. “Learners must understand that bringing drugs, weapons and other prohibited items onto school premises will have consequences,” he said.

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