Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
TWENTY-FIVE Form 4 pupils from Mqokolweni High School in Mangwe District have been suspended for two weeks after they were caught smoking dagga at their school recently.An additional 15 O-level and A-Level pupils were caught drinking beer on the same day and were punished.

Of the 25 suspected mbanje smokers, 15 are reportedly girls.

Mangwe District education officer, Headman Mpofu confirmed the suspensions.

A Chronicle news crew visited the community surrounding the school where suspended pupils revealed that a group of O-level girls supplied other pupils with the dagga.

One of the pupils, 18, who supplied her school mates with the mbanje, said she bought the weed from a local villager. “I bought the dagga at a neighbour’s homestead and was charged R5 for a twist. I bought one twist and then shared it with my friends who also brought more dagga .

“Our act of smoking was an experiment as we wanted to know how dagga ‘tastes’ and how it feels to be high. Unfortunately a pupil in the lower sixth form reported us to our teachers,’’ she said.

She said they smoked the dagga during an inter-schools athletics competition.

Another 18-year-old Form 4 pupil, who was also suspended, said he together with his friends found a group of girls smoking dagga on their sports day while other pupils were drinking beer.

He said the girls asked for their assistance to roll their stuff.

The pupil said they later smoked the dagga after the girls had persuaded them.

He said some of the pupils were smoking in a bid to boost their performance in sports while others were smoking for fun. “When we started smoking, my schoolmates wanted to boost their performance in the sports competitions. Later, non-participants joined in and soon a number of O-level pupils were smoking. While we were smoking dagga others were drinking beer.

“Those of us who were smoking were suspended while those who were drinking beer were only punished,’’ he said.

A grandmother to one of the suspended boys, Anna Nyathi said she received a letter summoning her to the school.

She said she attended the meeting on Wednesday last week together with other affected parents and guardians where she was told that her grandson had been suspended from school for smoking dagga.

Nyathi produced a suspension letter from the school stating that her grandson would be on suspension from February 25 to March 11 for smoking dagga.

The letter which was signed by the school’s deputy headmaster also stated that upon completing the suspension period the pupil would face further disciplinary action.

Florence Moyo, a grandmother to one of the suspended girls, said she was also summoned to the school on the same matter and was issued with a letter announcing her granddaughter’s suspension.

Another villager, Maria Ndlovu, received two suspension letters for her two Form 4 grandchildren.

“When I got to the school I found that police had been called and they were questioning the children so that they would reveal where they got the dagga from.

“The children revealed that they were buying the dagga from various homesteads within the community,” said Ndlovu.
Jennifer Ngwenya, mother to a suspended boy said as parents they were disgruntled with the manner in which the school authorities handled the matter.

She said they rushed to alert the police before they talked to school development committee members and parents.

Ngwenya said the suspended children were at their critical stage of learning as they are Form 4s.

“The children are now missing out on lessons. We struggle to get their fees and now our children are idle at home for the entire two weeks while our money goes to waste. The school should have taken into consideration the fact that some of the children were misled by their peers,” said Ngwenya.

She said there was need for community members who were selling dagga to be arrested.

Ngwenya said some people were selling dagga from their homesteads but were not being arrested despite the numerous reports made to the police.

“Some of the dagga is being sold from shops. The teachers and the school administration at Mqokolweni High School aren’t working well with parents.

“They don’t show any respect for the community  and sometimes they make decisions without informing us,” she said.

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