A Soweto pupil from Greenside High School was found with a loaded firearm on 25 January.
The security from the high school thought the pupil looked suspicious when they searched him.
SAPS Gauteng spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini commented and said, “Police were called to the scene after the school security found a firearm on one of the pupils,” He said that a follow-up investigation revealed that the firearm belongs to the grandfather of the pupil and, as a result, a case of negligent handling of the firearm has been registered against the owner of the firearm.
The Department of Basic Education was also contacted, and acting spokesperson of the Gauteng Department of Education, Oupa Bodibe said, “The department can confirm that there are allegations of a firearm being brought into the premises of the school during the course of this week. The school is currently investigating all circumstances surrounding this particular incident and the department will await a final report from the school. The matter is also with the police.”
Bodibe also said that the department has a strict policy which prohibits pupils from bringing any form of weapon into school premises, “We have a zero-tolerance policy against any form of violence, weapons or drugs in our schools in order to create a safe environment for both pupils and educators,” he said.
The Department of Education said that weapons such as firearms pose a threat to the safe and supportive environment under which pupils are to be taught. Therefore, any pupil who is found to have brought such a weapon into school premises will be subjected to a disciplinary process which might lead to the pupil being expelled from school.
The school was contacted but no comment was forthcoming and the security guard needed to get permission before speaking to the media about the incident.
