BONUS - RUSTENBURG - The North West Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (PROVJOINTS) led by the South African Police Service (SAPS), officially launched the annual Safer Festive Operation in Mahikeng on Thursday, 17 October. The operation commenced on 1 October 2024 and will come to a close on 31 January 2025.
As part of a holistic, integrated social crime prevention and combating strategy, the operation will be executed in an intelligence phased approach.
The first phase of the operation, which runs from 1 October to 30 November 2024, 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, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, requested and encouraged all learners, School Governing Bodies (SGB), communities, parents and Community Police Forums (CPFs) to work together with the PROVJOINTS and the Department of Education to ensure that the examinations (including Grade 12), run safe, secure and incident free for both learners and educators. SGBs and CPFs are urged to work together with school principals, educators and local police stations to ensure that schools are crime free zones and that gangs, hawkers or vendors of dangerous foods and drug peddlers face the full might of the law.
The message from the Provincial Commissioner to all learners, especially matriculants, is to remain focused, continue to study and avoid any activity that may jeopardise their personal well-being and to avoid 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 instructions to deal decisively with any liquor outlets that sell, supply and host the consumption of liquor to underage learners. All stakeholders are also urged not to tolerate a tendency or practise of “Pens down” commonly referred to by learners in Setswana as “go tlhatswa pene”, wherein they engage in wild liquor drinking celebratory parties - often with disastrous repercussions for learners.
The South African Police Service is also making a call to event organisers 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, that these are conducted in the manner that does not infringe on 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.
The SAPS and the PROVJOINTS also wished the Department of Education, parents and most importantly learners a safe, peaceful and successful examination period.
