Two bothers Sipho (35), Tshepiso Mabena (22) from Tsakane realised that the drug was not only destroying them but also turned their mother’s life into an unbearably misery.
Sharing their story before going to the rehab the siblings say when craving for a drug they would do anything to ensure that they get it.
Sipho says he lost his job three years ago because he used his transport fee to buy the drug for two of his younger brothers.
“Trying to prevent them from committing crime so that they can get the money to buy the drug, I used my transport fee to buy them the drug,” sadly says Sipho.
He says because he did not have anything better to do and was always stressed about loosing his job, he saw no other way out but to also use the drug to temporarily escape from his problems.
Sipho says life became even more stressful and misery for her mother who depends on her government pension to survive.
“My mother always had sleepless nights because we used to wake her up around 3am everyday and forced her to buy nyaope on credit for us, the debt she will have to pay when she gets her pension money,” says Sipho.
Explaining how they used to make money to buy the drug Tshepiso says their home do not have a furniture today because they stole it all to sell for a few rands.
“Our mother used to pray for us to stop taking the drug but we used to joke about that,” says Tshepiso. Adding that seeing how the drug controlled their lives, they decided to quit and seek for help. He says the Tsakane Youth Development Programme, a youth organisation that helps fight against drugs in the township came to their rescue when they offered to help them.
The brothers were taken to a rehabilitation centre in Pretoria through the help of the youth organisation.
They spent six weeks at the rehab centre and were discharged in October last year.
“We are very proud that since we came back from the rehab centre, we have never used the drug and confident that we will never used it again,” says confident Tshepiso.
If you need help from the Tsakane Youth Development Programme, you can find them at Tsakane Old Age Home or contact Busi Maseko on 061 373 9685.
