THEY BELIEVE that the campaign to search students in schools, by the crime monitoring organization eThekwini Neighborhood Watch, will make a big difference in the fight against crime.
This was said by its founder, Mr. Andile Jali recently, after visiting one of the schools.
Jali said that he has attended ten schools since the opening of schools in different townships in the north of Thekwini. Among the places they attended schools, Nanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu and Phoenix.
Among the schools he has visited are Vuyiswa Mtolo High in KwaMashu, Mtapo High in Lindelani, Machobeni High in Nanda, Delview in Phoenix and others.
He said that among the things they find when they search the students, a bullet from a non-lethal gun, different types of drugs, weapons such as knives and sharp objects.
“We found a bullet from a gun that exploded but did not kill at Mzuvele High, KwaMashu. When we asked a student why the bullet was in the book bag, he said it went in by mistake,” said Jali.
He said they were left wondering where his gun was and if it was his?
He said from another student that they received a compliment from the girls, he revealed that there are problems they encounter when they do these campaigns, such as students who sniff, not wanting to be searched.
He said for those students it helps to keep their eyes open, to show them that they have come to play.
He revealed that once they have discussed with the school’s leadership, they immediately raid the students’ entry times, camp at the gate, and search every student before entering the gate. The girls said they were searched by female members of the organization, while the boys were searched by men.
“In another school, we found out that there was a student who threatened the teacher that he would kill him, and the teacher even made a protection letter for him,” said Jali.
He stated that the student had already been expelled from the school but a political party came to tell the school that they had no right to expel the student.
“This is strange to us, why did it speak for the student who threatened the teacher to kill him, forcing him to get a protection letter? We found out that this teacher is teaching hard because he is afraid of this student, who is said to have already grown a lot of wings as he was helped by this group to forcefully return to school,” he said.
He said that in Phoenix, where they found a student with a knife, when they asked him, he said that he was going to use it to defend himself as he had a fight with another student from Nanda, who threatened him that he would call his gang to teach him a lesson.
He stated that they believe that since they are doing these campaigns, it will bear good fruit in reducing crime as Durban has a problem of children joining gangs at a young age, and committing heinous crimes.
“If they know that these uncles suddenly come to school, search bags, they will be afraid of carrying weapons and drugs in school. If we fight crime in schools, the result will be seen in society,” he said.
He said that they have chosen schools that are said to have deaf students, and went to them, he said that after they started the campaign in January, they are getting requests from school principals to come because there is a great need.
He mentioned that since they have only visited the north of Durban for now, they are in the process of spreading to other townships that they have not yet reached.