Limpopo Premier held Teenage Pregnancy, Substance Abuse and Anti-Bullying Campaign

Limpopo Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba held the teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and anti-bullying campaign at Raluswielo Secondary School, Thulamela Local Municipality on Friday, 14 August 2026.

Dr. Ramathuba was accompanied by the MEC for Education Ms. Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya and Thulamela Local Municipality Mayor Ms. Sarah Rammbuda respectively.

Substance abuse amongst learners’ is the mother of many of these social ills which often begins with what appears to be an innocent experiment such as a puff of dagga, a bottle of alcohol, crystal meth, a space muffin or the inhaling of dangerous substances, but it quickly opens the door to addictions, violence, gangsterism, bullying, criminal behaviour, poor academic performance and teenage pregnancy.

Recent reports from Statistics South Africa points to Thohoyandou, Sibasa and neighboring communities, where drugs have become far too accessible more especially to the youth.

Reinstating moral integrity in schools and society at large is among pressing issues on the government agenda.
The purpose of the visit was to restore discipline at schools and to ensure safety in learning environments.

Learners of five schools comprising Raluswielo, Phaswana, Mphaphuli, Nthetsheleseni and Mbilwi Secondary Schools in the Vhembe East Circuit were addressed on various social ills, including teen pregnancy, substance abuse and bullying.

Parents, educators and community members raised concerns about teenage pregnancies, substance abuse, bullying and gangsterism involving learners and those concerns have since been confirmed by reports from Vhembe East circuit and revealed alarming statistics.

Those statistics revealed that 60 learners have been identified as abusing substances, 81 learners have been reported as victims of bullying, 26 learners are confirmed pregnant, and 22 learners have been linked to gangsterism across the five schools present on the day.

“These statistics are not just numbers. They are the shattered dreams of our children. They represent classrooms interrupted, families in distress and communities under siege. Every learner who falls victim to drugs, bullying or exploitation is one learner too many” Dr. Ramathuba stressed

Premier Dr. Ramathuba said this is why the event was held at Vhembe East because it is a circuit renowned for producing generations of outstanding learners, dedicated professionals and leaders who continue to shape our province and our country.
It is also a circuit whose name has become synonymous with academic excellence, discipline and resilience and it needs to return to its former glory.

“When South Africans speak about educational excellence, they speak about Mbilwi Secondary School, one of the highest-performing schools in the country, consistently producing exceptional matric results and some of South Africa’s brightest learners. They speak about Mphaphuli Secondary School, the alma mater of our President, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa. They speak about Raluswielo, Phaswana and Nthetsheleseni, schools that have, over many years, remained at the forefront of academic achievement. These schools have built a proud legacy that every learner should protect. We cannot allow that legacy to be overshadowed by social ills that threaten the future of our children.” Dr. Ramathuba hinted

She further emphasized that learners should know that schools are places of learning, not recruitment centres for gang violence and those who recruit children into criminal groups must know that they are stealing the future and government will work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure they are arrested and prosecuted.

Meanwhile, Murunwa Mulaudzi, a learner at Nthetsheleseni Secondary School praised government for its effort to combat crime, teenage pregnancies, bullying and substance abuse in schools and communities at large.

“I think this is a good initiative by Limpopo Provincial Government because schools must strictly be places of learning like the premier said. As learners we must solely focus on learning and planning for the future while educators must focus only on building the future generations without stressing about solving cases of crime and bullying in schools. It might be a long way before we succeed in alleviating this challenge, but what happened today is the first step to the right direction. It is our responsibility as learners to co-operate with teachers and law enforcement to win this battle and get good results as it was the case in previous years.” Said Mulaudzi