Lentswe, Klerksdorp - The North West Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (PROVJOINTS) led by the South African Police Service, has officially launched the annual Safer Festive Operation in Mahikeng on Thursday October 17. The operation commenced on October 1 and will come to a close on January 31 next year.
It will be executed in an intelligence phased approach. The first phase of the operation until November 30, is directed towards ensuring that schools examinations take place in a conducive, peaceful, safe and incident free environment.
It is in this regard that the Provincial Commissioner, Lt-Genl Sello Kwena, encourages and calls upon all the learners, SGB’s, communities, parents and CPF’s to work together with the PROVJOINTS and the department of education to ensure that the examinations including the important matriculation examination, learners and educators are safe, secure and incident free.
The message to all the learners especially the matriculants is to remain focussed, continue to study and avoid any activity that may jeopardise their personal well-being and possible unlawful conduct such as indulging in drugs and liquor during and after the examination period.
“The police in the province have been given clear orders to deal decisively with any liquor outlets that will sell liquor to learners. Communities, parents, school governing bodies and Community Police Forums are urged not to tolerate a tendency or practice of “Pens down” commonly referred to by learners in Setswana as “go tlhatswa pene” wherein they engage in wild celebratory parties often with disastrous repercussions for learners,” said Brig Sabata Mokgwabone, spokesperson.
The police also call on event organizers as well as community activists and community leaders to make sure that events are hosted in accordance with the law and that where there are protests or marches, it do not infringe the law or violate the rights of others by causing damage to infrastructure, barricading of roads, disrupting of public and private transport which may disrupt the writing of examinations.
