The South African Police Services (SAPS) has issued a strong warning against learners who bring dangerous weapons to school.

This follows a series of criminal activities, ranging from murder to assault, that have invaded schools around the country in the past year. The Vhembe SAPS did not want to be a spectator of this crime monster that has turned schools into terror zones.

Speaking to hundreds of Dengenya High School learners, educators, parents and officials from the Department of Education at Dzingahe, near Sibasa, Supt Ailwei Mushavhanamadi said the SAPS has prioritized safety at schools and learners who disturb the peace will be subjected to the strongest disciplinary action, according to the law. "School is a place of learning, not a crime battle. Learners are supposed to carry books and other learning aids to school, not weapons like guns and knives. We will never leave a stone unturned because we want our schools to be harmonious places where learning takes place without fear. Our work is to protect the community, but if something goes wrong, we have no alternative but to arrest the perpetrators to allow the law to take its own course."

Mushavhanamadi urged educators and community members to inform the police if they suspect that there are learners who are carrying dangerous weapons to school. " The police alone cannot win this war and it is our collective duty to eradicate crime at our schools. If the deviant learners are reported to us, we will then take the necessary steps for the sake of better education in our society." Mushavhanamadi criticized educators who sell drugs to learners. "Imagine the teacher, who is supposed to be role model, selling dagga to the learners. What type of future leaders are we expecting from that generation? We will do our best to take away those teachers from the community because they belong in prison. We are also seriously concerned about community members who sell alcoholic beverages to school kids. Can you imagine a learner dressed in school uniform, queuing in the bottle store for beer? We understand that the liquor outlet owners are in business, but they are supposed to send the children away because they are under age."

He added that the SAPS has done much to reduce the escalating crime rate in schools. "Our units have adopted some of the schools in the country and the partnerships are breeding positive results. By conducting visits like this one, we are trying to establish good working relationships with our schools. We are proud of the cooperation we are receiving from our schools because we are striving for a common goal of making our schools better places."