Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, today continued the Department’s intensified school safety interventions through South African Police Service-led search and seizure operations, bringing the total number of schools searched across the province to 23.
On Wednesday, 2 September 2026, MEC Maile joined searches that were conducted at six schools, namely Sehopotso Secondary School and Botebo-Tsebo Secondary School in Sebokeng, Residentia Secondary School in Vanderbijlpark, Sapphire Secondary School in Bophelong, and Mahareng Secondary School and Lekoa Shandu Secondary School in Sharpeville.
The operations are aimed at removing drugs, dangerous weapons and other prohibited items from schools, while strengthening safety and discipline and creating secure environments for teaching and learning.
The latest operation resulted in the recovery of 123 prohibited items, including 43 disposable vapes, 29 pairs of scissors, four knives, 10 broken mirrors, five boxes of matches, 30 items containing oil spice, one mathematics instrument and one space cookie.
Speaking to the media during the operation at Sapphire Secondary School, MEC Maile said the findings highlight the importance of continued school safety interventions to identify and remove items that pose a risk to learners and educators.
“These operations are necessary because we cannot afford to allow our schools to become spaces where prohibited substances, dangerous objects and other harmful items are allowed to circulate. We must continue to act, but we must also understand that this responsibility does not rest with schools and government alone,” MEC Maile said.
MEC Maile further called on parents to play an active role in instilling discipline and responsible behaviour in their children, emphasising that safer schools require a collective effort from parents, schools, communities, law enforcement and government.
“Parents have a critical role to play in teaching children discipline, responsibility and respect. We must all take responsibility for creating an environment in which our children can learn, grow and thrive. These operations form part of the Department’s broader interventions under the ‘It Takes A Village To Raise A Child’ programme, which recognises that learner safety, discipline and wellbeing are a shared societal responsibility,” MEC Maile said.
The operations will continue unannounced on a weekly basis across Gauteng, with multiple operations taking place simultaneously in different regions across the province. The Department appreciates the continued partnership and support of the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Gauteng Department of Community Safety and private security partners in these efforts to strengthen school safety and ensure that schools remain safe and conducive environments for teaching and learning.
