Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School in eMbalenhle hosts drug awareness campaign
The campaign formed part of ongoing efforts by the school to curb the growing challenge of drugs and weapons in schools.
Learners at Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School gathered for a morning assembly drug awareness campaign on March 9, following alarming incidents in which some learners were found in possession of dagga and cigarettes during a random school search.
The campaign formed part of ongoing efforts by the school to curb the growing challenge of drugs and weapons in schools.
During the campaign, Scelo Maseko, an ex-convict and founder of the organisation Offenders Champion of Change, addressed the learners and shared his personal experience to warn them about the consequences of crime.
Maseko encouraged learners to stay away from criminal activities and focus on their education to secure a better future.
“Don’t commit a crime. Focus on your education to have a bright future. I was once a learner just like you before I was arrested and sentenced. Crime does not start anywhere else but here at school,” he said.
He warned learners that smoking cigarettes, dagga or using drugs could lead them down a dangerous path.
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“If you have started smoking cigarettes, dagga or any drug, I advise you to quit now. That’s where crime starts because you will need money to support your addiction. You may end up taking other learners’ belongings through bullying.
“Once you do that, you start opening the door to jail for yourself,” said Maseko.
Maseko also urged learners not to let peer pressure influence them into doing wrong. He further raised concerns about gangsterism in schools in eMbalenhle, saying that some learners who join gangs claim they were influenced during their time at initiation schools.
“Those who go to initiation schools follow their culture, but there is no excuse for you to follow a culture that is not yours just because you want to belong. It is okay not to belong. That will help you focus on your education and stay away from crime,” he said.
Maseko also encouraged learners to report any form of bullying or ill-treatment by fellow learners to the school management.
