The vandalism and classroom torching at Ndengetho High School in KwaNdengezi, Durban, have been denounced by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) launched a search and seizure operation last Thursday, which resulted in the confiscation of mobile phones, guns, and narcotics, according to the school’s report.
Cell phones were also seized by the police since, in accordance with the school’s code of conduct, students are not permitted to bring them into school grounds, according to KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Mbali Frazer.
Frazer praised the police’s efforts and pointed out that they are covered under the contract they have with the SAPS.
According to her, searches and seizures at schools are a frequent component of campaigns aimed at preventing crime and raising public awareness of it, and the SAPS and the department have an agreement on procedure that was signed more than 10 years ago and is carried out by the provinces.
“Members of SAPS are operating in accordance with the agreement, which aims to eradicate criminality in schools, when they conduct searches and seizures in schools. According to the agreement, each school is connected to a police station, and currently, 18 000 schools throughout the nation have a police station allocated to them directly. This ensures that all schools are crime-free zones.
Since there are several other schools where similar SAPS operations are being conducted, Frazer stated, “We commend the efforts of the police and we are happy to see that our agreement with SAPS is yielding fruit.”
In order to secure school operation and the foundation for excellent teaching and learning, Frazer also urged school management teams to collaborate with school governing bodies to ensure that the codes of conduct are always followed.