Joburg residents urged to blow whistle on drug dealers

28 November 2016

 

It was time to blow the whistle on drug dealers, a substance abuse awareness workshop was told at the Doornkop Community Hall in Soweto on Friday November 25.

 

The workshop was part of a drive to highlight the relationship between substance abuse and gender-based violence.

It also marked the start of the 16 Days of Activism of No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, which is in its 16th year. The campaign runs until December 10.

City of Johannesburg social worker Dudu Bojosi said there was a direct link between drug abuse and gender-based violence. “The City is serious about fighting substance abuse and gender-based violence and ensuring that women and children live in communities they feel safe in,” said Bojosi.

“As members of the Local Drug Action Committee, we’ve come to the sad realisation that our children lie, steal and kill to feed their habit,” said Bojosi.

She said the City could not fight drug abuse on its own but needed residents to blow the whistle on drug dealers.

The City, she said, had partnered with the Gauteng Department of Social Development, South African National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA), Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) to tackle substance abuse.

Justina Seloana, a SANCA co-ordinator, said some of the recovering addicts the organisation had helped to rehabilitate now went to schools to teach children about the danger of doing drugs.

She said SANCA had established satellite clinics in many communities so parents whose children were battling with drugs could get help.

“It’s important for residents to know where to go for help and the options available to them,” said Seloana.
She said because it was difficult for recovering addicts to reintegrate into their communities, SANCA offered an aftercare programme.

Recovering addict Lebo Malele, 26, said nyaope had controlled her life and alienated her from the people she loved.

“I couldn’t function without smoking. I had to smoke in order to be ‘normal’,” said Lebo. She said she stole from her family just to get her next hit.

“Taking the decision to stop taking drugs wasn’t easy. But I’ve now started to make up for all the damage I’ve cause my family and rebuilding my relationships,” concluded Lebo.