Pupils at a Langa primary school were shocked when police officers arrived unannounced last week to search them for drugs and weapons.
About 15 armed officers frisked Zimasa Primary’s Grade 7s and 8s – children aged 11 to 13 – and searched their bags, on Thursday.
Male officers searched the boys, female officers the girls.
The officers told the children to make sure they had their own school bags before they were searched.
The police invited Vukani to be present during the operation.
No drugs or weapons were found.
The officers cautioned the pupils about the dangers of being involved in crime, drugs and gangsterism and handed out pamphlets condemning domestic violence.
On the same day, the soldiers and police officers hit Langa’s streets, doing random searches at homes, businesses and taverns.
Langa police spokeswoman, Captain Nondumiso Paul, said they did regular searches at schools.
They wanted to alert children to the dangers of drugs and crime while they were still young so they could make the right choices about their futures.
According to Captain Paul, Langa has seen a spike in murder, attempted murder, rape and robbery. Captain Paul told the pupils they should aspire to be good role models in their community.
“Your future lies in your hands. What you do today would haunt you tomorrow or would help you achieve your dreams. You are what you do. But crime never pays.
When one is involved in crime and drugs it’s either he ends up in jail or dead,” she said.
School principal Fezile Mguqulwa said the school search was a good thing and had been done at the request of the school governing body, which wanted pupils to know about the dangers of crime.