Dagga muffins land six Khorixas learners in hot water

Six Grade 10 learners from Cornelius Goreseb High School in Khorixas were questioned by police last Thursday after muffins allegedly laced with dagga were found in their possession on the school premises.

The two boys and four girls linked to the incident were suspended the same day, the school confirmed.

Khorixas police station commander Chief Inspector Kavasuva Isack confirmed the incident to Namibian Sun.

"Six pupils were brought to the police station today on referral of the principal. It was muffins made for a birthday mixed with dagga," he said last week.

He said the pupils were later referred to a social worker after their parents were summoned to the police station.

"This is the first case of dagga muffins in Khorixas," Isack said.

It was reported that later that day, other pupils believed to have eaten the muffins were also referred to a social worker for counselling.

Isack expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the incident.

"In this case, the incident shows the children are loose," he said. "Some ask permission to leave the hostel premises to go bake these muffins."

Isack urged the school to tighten its control measures to prevent similar incidents.

Birthday muffins

School principal Kabajani Simataa said teachers found the muffins shortly after pupils arrived at school on Thursday morning.

"They [brought] muffins [to] school, mixed with marijuana,” Simataa told Namibian Sun last week. “They were caught immediately when they arrived at school.”

He said the incident could signal an emerging trend in the town.

"This might be a new trend in Khorixas,” he warned. "We are afraid of what is happening in Khorixas. It's getting out of hand. We do regular searches at school," he added.

Simataa said they suspected the muffins were baked at the home of one of the pupils' parents and were intended for a birthday celebration rather than for distribution at school.

He added that one of the learners had allegedly brought the muffins to school because he feared his younger brother might eat them if left at home.

"We must watch our children. Drugs come in different forms. Some might buy things without knowing," Simataa said.

Although some learners and teachers alleged that the muffins had been sold on the school premises, Simataa denied this. He said police intended to visit the school to speak to learners about the dangers of drug use.

Growing concern

The incident follows another drug-related case at the school last year, when a Grade 10 pupil wrote examinations from the Khorixas police holding cells after allegedly being found in possession of dagga at home.

Cornelius Goreseb High School has about 550 learners.

The latest incident comes amid growing concern among Khorixas residents over drug abuse, with the issue frequently raised on local radio stations and social media platforms. A few years ago, pupils, youth groups and the #Aodaman Traditional Authority staged a demonstration against the escalating drug problem in the town.