ABOUT 26 pupils, who apparently bunked school, are expected to appear in court today after they were allegedly found in possession of drugs and dangerous weapons at train stations during school hours on Friday

The boys, from Goudveld High School in Langlaagte and JPI Secondary School in the Johannesburg city centre, were arrested in Orlando and New Canada stations just after 9.30am.

Mahlathini Ntsholo, coordinator of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa's Youth and Safety Campaign, said the pupils were found drinking alcohol at the stations. A further search revealed that they had drugs and knives.

"We found a 14-year-old boy with a large quantity of dagga and we suspect that he might have been selling it to other children," he said.

Ntsholo said they restarted the campaign to rid trains of unlawful activities after receiving complaints from the public that train surfing had started again and that some pupils were not attending school, especially on Fridays.

"It was very disappointing to see these children in the state they were in. They are all under-aged and hope that they will get a warning from a magistrate."

• Meanwhile, police in Gauteng arrested 29 people for being in possession of unlicensed firearms and closed six shebeens in Orlando, Soweto, during weekend crime raids.

Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said a total of 20 suspects were also arrested in Johannesburg central as part of "Operation Mayibuye".

Goods worth more than R500,000, including laptops, counterfeit clothing, vehicles and tyres were seized.

Seventeen firearms, which included two stolen from police, were confiscated in Mondeor, Thembisa, Ivory Park, Protea Glen, Barrage, Muldersdrift, Pretoria Central, Sebokeng, Katlehong, Cleveland and Alberton, said Dlamini.

He said one of the unlicensed firearms - a shotgun - was seized at Johannesburg city centre from a security guard.

He said all the suspects were expected to appear at various magistrate courts today.