SEDIBENG – There was nowhere to hide as sniffer dogs, police officers and several law enforcement teams descended on Gauteng schools in a surprise safety operation on Tuesday (August 4).

This comes after Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, led the Search and Seizure Operation starting at Badirile Secondary School in Khutsong before moving to Thetha Secondary School and finally visiting Duzenendlela Special School in Orange Farm.

The operation brought together SAPS, Gauteng Provincial Traffic Police, Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens, Brinant Group and other law enforcement agencies in a united effort to keep schools safe.

Learners’ bags and school premises were searched as sniffer dogs combed classrooms and grounds for illegal substances and dangerous weapons.

According to the department, the crackdown is part of the provincial government’s campaign to tackle knives, drugs, gangsterism and other criminal activities that threaten learning.

During the blitz, several dangerous objects, dagga, and vapes, among many other things, were found in the possession of pupils.

Maile said the department had spent the past three months engaging with stakeholders and had received numerous complaints about violence and crime in schools.

“We recently held a press conference on violence and crime in schools and outlined several short, medium- and long-term interventions,” he said.

“One of the short-term measures, which forms part of our health and safety strategy, is conducting regular searches with the police, sometimes with the media present and sometimes without,” he added.

Authorities say the operations will continue across Gauteng to ensure schools remain safe spaces where pupils can focus on their education without fear.