School bus driver bust for drugs

Man suspected of selling dagga, nyaope to pupils

A school bus driver is being investigated for allegedly selling drugs to pupils he transports to school.

The bus driver, who cannot be named until he is charged, transports pupils to a primary school in Mokgwaneng village in the Marble Hall area of Limpopo.

He was allegedly found in possession of dagga and a white powder suspected to be nyaope last week.

The man had allegedly been selling the drugs to pupils at the school as well as a secondary school.

Limpopo police spokesman LieutenantColonel Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed police confiscated the substances from the bus driver and were investigating the matter.

“The suspect has not been arrested yet as we are still in the process of gathering information relating to his activities,”Ngoepe said. “We want to conduct a holistic investigation before acting against anyone involved.” He said pupils and members of the community would be encouraged to provide more information to assist the police.

Spokesman for the provincial department of education Naledzani Rasila confirmed that the bus was contracted by the department. Rasila said they were disappointed with the alleged conduct of the scholar transport operator.

“Selling drugs is a crime and selling [them] to pupils is unacceptable.

“We are calling on all school communities to support the police in giving them full information so that the law can take its course,” said Rasila.

He said the department would do everything to make sure that pupils were safe.

According to the secretary of the Mokgwaneng Community Policing Forum, Magdaline Nakedi, the girlfriend of the bus driver was also caught selling dagga to a female pupil on Wednesday.

She said the pupil was searched and found in possession of two matchboxes containing the weed.

The school’s principal confirmed that the matter was reported to both the department and the police.