Warrant officer Balan Muthan said that the raid was conducted as part of the Safer Schools project which is a joint operation between the Department of Education and South African Police Service.
He explained that Fourways High was chosen for the programme because it was close to the police station, and the management of the school was in full co-operation with the police – not because there had been any drug-related issues at the school. The purpose of the raid was to search for illegal substances like marijuana, crystal meth and cocaine but also to look for illegal weapons.
Warrant officer Muthan said that the school was also happy for the police to come as police visibility would impact on high-risk pupils. Head teachers, police and the K9 unit split into two groups and each searched three to four classes which were identified by the school as containing suspicious pupils.
The police did not find any illicit substances nor firearms in the classrooms or lockers but some pupils were pulled aside to be body-searched and were found with cigarettes and lighters.
Sergeant Nicholus Mokwena questioned the pupils on why they were in possession of cigarettes and one pupil replied, “Sir, they’re not mine. My father asked me to keep them for him.”
The management of the school said that the pupils who were found with these items would be would be dealt with accordingly.
