Social Development to take addicts to rehab
Addicts who want to go to rehab will have to wait for three weeks.
Kwa-Thema – The Gauteng Department of Social Development held a roadshow on Saturday at the Duduza Taxi Rank in Kwa-Thema.
Young people struggling with drugs and alcohol addiction and wanting help attended the roadshow.
This follows an announcement by premier Panyaza Lesufi that the department will launch a new initiative to rehabilitate the youth addicted to the notorious street drug nyaope.
The roadshow took place at the rank as it is part of the nyaope hotspots alongside 3rd Avenue, 4th, 8th and 9th streets’ pavements and parking lots in Springs.
Addicts had to take tests by health professionals at the roadshow and register their names for them to be put on a list and will be called in three weeks for rehab.
Drug addict Ronny Chauke said, “There’s nothing that we can do with the department’s decision to call us after three weeks. However, I wish it could have been earlier.
“There’s nowhere we could go as there is a struggle to get into rehab almost everywhere. If we were to leave today, I would even sign an indemnity with the police that I’m taking part.
“I would go home now to fetch my luggage. We have hurt a lot of people in the community and the rehab can give us a chance to change and become better people,” said Chauke.
Springs Social Development office social worker, Nomzamo Mvuleni said, “There is a backlog as many people are applying for rehab. We are following the procedure by taking details of the addicts as the rehab centres need to know of the people they will be taking in.”
Mvuleni mentioned the steps to be taken by social development working with addicts before being admitted to rehab centres and said it takes three meetings between social workers and addicts.
• First meeting is whereby they will be given medical forms for a report which will need to be filled at a medical facility.
• Second meeting will be the submission of the medical report, ID copy, proof of residence and an affidavit from the police station stating that they are unemployed. Thereafter there’ll be an interview by a social worker where an addict will be asked which nearby rehab they will prefer to go to. Admission to rehab can be four to nine weeks.
• The third meeting will be when accompanying the addict to rehab.
Those who couldn’t form part of the roadshow and would like to go to rehab can contact the helpline on 0800 228 827 or USSD*134*47472# and follow the prompts.
