Duduza – Inxusa Community Project has, to date, helped over 50 drug users attend rehab, with many becoming active members of the society through the skills they acquired through the project’s sustainability project.
This is according to the project’s founder, Bishop Andile Madiba.
“I saw the struggles of the members of my church with poverty, and realised that they go beyond the church,” he says.
The vision of the project is to tackle hunger and substance abuse.
The project does this by providing a meal on Tuesday afternoons, and inviting the Department of Social Development to assist with getting those who are currently still using drugs into rehab.
“Duduza is facing a big nyaope problem which then feeds into the crime in Duduza because most of the users do not work, some do not even live at home anymore, so to get money for the drugs, they resort to crime,” says Madiba.
The Bishop is reaching out to the community of Kwatsaduza for donations of any kind, but especially of food because he is only able to provide a single meal a week for the members of the programme.
“We do a lot of work in the community, but because of limited resources we can only do so much,” he says.
“For some of these people, the next time they are sure they will get a meal is when we meet again next Tuesday.
“With donations, we would be able to provide more regular meals for them,” he says.
Madiba says they do not only send the users to rehab, but also have programmes to keep them busy and have them become active members in the society.
Also read: KwaThema organisation hopes to get rid of drugs in the community
Bafana Leshela runs these programmes which are for people who have never used drugs, those who are currently using them and those who are former users.
“The programmes keep all the members busy, prevent those who have not touched drugs from falling into the trap, and keeps those who come for rehab away from drugs while encouraging those who still want to quit to keep trying,” he says.
The activities include arts, culture and other skills programmes where they can become skilled artisans.
“The skills that they learn here do not only empower them, but others in the community too because they can create their own employment and employ others.
“It also helps lower the crime rate because the members no longer steal to support their habit,” he adds.
Former user, Nkosana Mzizi, who used nyaope for eight years, is one of the people who benefited from the programme.
“I knew I wanted to quit when my family and community no longer trusted me because of how things started going missing when I was around, and when it felt like I could die at any time.
“Now that I have stopped, I am much happier. With the skills I have acquired here, I am able to get casual employment and help out at home,” says Mzizi.
This is the feeling Tshepiso Motshome is hoping to experience.
Motshome uses nyaope and rocks, and has been on drugs since 2012 following a car accident.
“In 2012, I was involved in an accident where I lost my teeth, and I was teased to the point of dropping out of school.
“I just wanted to experiment with the drugs to see if I can feel better about myself,” she says.
She says she has tried quitting on her own because she would like to move back home and support her three year old, but realised she could not do it on her own and joined Inxusa after a friend she uses drugs with was successfully accepted into rehab.
“I have been getting help with meals here and am waiting for a date to go to rehab.
“I hope to stop taking drugs and learn a skill so I can stop doing all the wrong things I do to get money,” she concludes.
Also read:Three arrested in Duduza for selling drugs
The project is not only for helping drug users, but other youth who are down and out.
According to Sipho Mahlaba, it is through the project that he was able to get a place to stay.
“I got retrenched from my job in Mpumalanga and returned to Duduza to live with my family as my parents had died, but they rejected me,” he explains.
“I started sleeping in the toilet at Bishop Madiba’s church as I was suicidal and hopeless.
“He let me live in a shack on the church premises where I also take part in the work of Inxusa,”he says.
“Baba Madiba does so much for us, and with donations, he can do so much more for the community of Duduza,” he concludes.
For more information, or to assist, contact Bishop Madiba on 084 827 8005.
