Trainees given boot for using cannabis
FOUR men’s dreams to be enlisted in the SANDF as air force cadets were dashed after they were kicked out of the training programme when cannabis was detected in their blood.
The four launched an urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to overturn the SANDF’s refusal to admit them to the training programme.
They said they were called on short notice to report to the air force base, before each of them had consumed some cannabis at home.
While some said it was done for recreational purposes, others said they had consumed the cannabis for medical reasons. But, they told the court, it did not matter, as this was done within the law, at their private homes.
They applied in June last year to the SAAF to enlist as cadets for the 2022 intake in the military skills development system training programme. It is a two-year programme.
The four underwent psychometric evaluation tests and medical fitness tests in their respective provinces. The application form stipulated that if they had not been contacted by the end of December, they should consider their applications unsuccessful.
The candidates did not receive feedback and regarded their applications as unsuccessful.
The four used cannabis either for “medicinal purposes and/or recreational purposes” at their homes during January and February this year.
They said they were unexpectedly contacted and told to report for duty at the Swartkop Air Force Base.
While there, the military police arrived with a canine unit to search for illicit substances like drugs and cannabis. This was after officers at the base said they had sniffed cannabis in the air near some tents.
The canine unit called out two of the selected members of the programme, but after a search was conducted, there was not enough evidence to confirm whether the traces found were traces of illicit substances.
The cadets were later instructed to undergo blood and urine tests for illicit drugs, due to the suspicion of drug use in the camp. A private laboratory was approached to test the blood and urine samples. Because of the number of tests that had to be done, the decision was taken to proceed with the training while the testing was done and all departed to Hoedspruit.
In March the applicants and two other cadets were told that they had tested positive for cannabis. They were told to withdraw themselves from training due to medical reasons.
They were transported to Pretoria and claimed to have been under the impression they would be re-evaluated in Pretoria. However, they were told to call their parents to collect them on the way to Pretoria. They were dropped off outside the air force base.
The SANDF said they never disclosed on their application questionnaires that they had used cannabis.
After testing positive, their medical classification changed to temporary unfit (for six months). The SANDF said the applicants were not dismissed in terms of labour practices but were withdrawn from the programme due to medical reasons. The judge said they had to wait for the Military Ombudsman’s decision before turning to court.