36 pupils suspended for 'smoking dagga' at Gauteng school

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi on Friday confirmed the suspension of 36 pupils at Leondale Secondary School who were recorded on video "smoking dagga" on the school grounds.

Lesufi addressed pupils at the school, telling them classmates involved in the incident had been suspended and await a disciplinary hearing.

"We have said to the school governing body convene an urgent disciplinary hearing this weekend. We want to know who was selling this. We want to know who was distributing this. We want to know who is influencing our children wrongly," he said.

On the basis of evidence produced at the disciplinary hearing, "on Monday we are going to open a criminal case with the police", he said to gasps of surprise.

"We are serious, we mean it and we mean business," he added.

Video footage shared on social media — which is not being republished by TimesLIVE due to the involvement of minors — showed boys and girls in school uniform puffing on several "dagga joints" and passing them to classmates. Thick clouds of smoke rise above the pupils.

Lesufi told pupils they had two choices: "Either you want to be a learner or you don't want to be a learner. We can't tolerate a situation where children smoke dagga inside the school premises."

Lesufi voiced concern earlier this month about the "ongoing trend of learners consuming ‘space cakes’ as several learners, from Randfontein High School on the West Rand and Mamellong Secondary School in Tsakane, Ekurhuleni, were hospitalised".

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