PUPILS hide dagga in lunch boxes.
This was revealed by the management at Hoerskool Elspark in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
The school has recorded almost 50 cases of pupils involved in drugs since January 2025.
Acting principal Johan Visser said they've partnered with the World Changers Candidates to fight the drug scourge at their school.
"We have a problem of pupils using drugs here in our school and we host disciplinary hearings at the school from Monday to Thursday for those pupils who are found to be using drugs.
"Pupils do use different types of drugs, but dagga is the most problematic one that is being used by our pupils," he said.
Visser said pupils use various methods to bring drugs into the school. He said some of the pupils come to school with the already rolled zol.
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"They work as a syndicate because the boys use the girls to carry the dagga into the school and they hide it on their bodies or in their lunch boxes.
"Once we suspect there are pupils who are using dagga or drugs, we have a right to test them and if they test positive, we inform their parents and take them to a disciplinary hearing," said Visser.
He said the situation needs intervention to help pupils who are on drugs.
"We have engaged the parents once a pupil has tested positive to have taken dagga. One of the pupils was taken to the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca)
"We suspend pupils who are using drugs as a last resort and the Department of Education is against the suspension of pupils. It wants schools to help pupils instead of suspending them," said Visser.
Noma Ndabula, school governing body (SGB) deputy chairwoman, said they brought World Changers Candidates for intervention with drug problems.
"We want the programme to help us curb the problem because we have girls from the age of 13 who are smoking dagga. We want the programme to keep our pupils free from using drugs because it affects their studies," said Ndabula.
She said most of the pupils who are doing drugs are likely to drop out of school.
"We aim to prevent that from happening and ensure pupils focus on school because they are future leaders. My message is that we must work together with the parents, pupils and SGB members to fight this drug scourge," said Ndubula.
The chairman of World Changers Candidates, Lucas Mahlakgane, said Hoerskool Elspark is one of the schools in Gauteng that is experiencing issues of drugs among pupils.
"The school reached out to our organisation for intervention. We will host a special assembly to launch NO TO 4/20 (weed day), which is a new phenomenon that most high school pupils get together to smoke weed on the 20th of April.
"One would remember the video of pupils in school uniform smoking weed on school premises at Leondale Secondary School," he said.
