Pubdate: Thu, 03 Jun 2004
Source: Mercury, The (South Africa)
Copyright: 2004 The Mercury.
Contact:  http://www.themercury.co.za/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2940
Author: Philani Makhanya

SCHOOLS HIRE SECURITY TO STOP DEALERS

Some schools in KwaZulu-Natal have been forced to hire security guards
to protect their pupils from drug pushers as more and more pupils -
from primary and high schools - fall prey to unscrupulous dealers of
hard drugs.

The problem has become so bad at these schools that the Department of
Education, with the help of the police, has compiled a list of the
worst-affected schools for special attention.

Although the Education Department would not release the names of the
schools, The Mercury has established that drug raids have been
conducted at Clairwood Secondary School and that, in Phoenix, drug
dealers are using a community park across the road from a school to
sell drugs.

Clairwood Deputy Principal Y Naidoo said the use of drugs such as
dagga was on the decline because of police patrols and drug searches
in the school.

Department officials said drug abuse in communities had spilled over
to schools, with children as young as nine dropping out of school
because of their destructive lifestyles as drug addicts.

The Chief Education Specialist in the Safety and Security Department,
S'bu Kheswa, said it was common knowledge that schools in the province
were being targeted by drug suppliers.

He said all schools in KZN were affected, although the types of drugs
being sold differed from region to region.

In the Ladysmith area, for example, schools had a problem with the
planting and selling of dagga.

In Umhlanga schools, hard drugs like Mandrax and Ecstasy were readily
available.

He said his department was co-operating with the police to fight the
problem.

Kheswa said certain schools were using funds from their government
subsidies to hire private security companies to protect their school
populations from drug dealers.

Supt Willie Louw, the Commander of Operation West, a unit that
investigates West African drug syndicates, said drugs like crack,
cocaine and Ecstasy had found their way to KZN public and private schools.

Runners

"Drug lords have reduced the price of drugs to make them more
affordable to pupils. They are using other children as runners to sell
drugs to their schoolmates," said Louw.

He said several schools in the Durban area had been raided by the
police in recent months and drugs had been found on the premises.

However, he said very few arrests had been made because illegal
substances had not been found in possession of pupils.

Joey du Plessis, who runs a rehabilitation centre in Hillcrest, said
that during the past few years the centre had received addicts as
young as 10.

"Through my interaction with young addicts I have observed that
parents do not understand how big the problem of drug abuse among
young people is," said Du Plessis.

"And they don't think it can happen to their children." 
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