More than 75 000 young people were reached through Gauteng’s substance abuse initiative
Over 75 000 young people addicted to drugs have been reached by provincial government rehabilitation initiatives.
Kwatsaduza – Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has waged a war against substance abuse in the province, citing that through their initiative they reached over 75 000 young people who were using drugs.
He was speaking during his maiden State of the Province Address (SOPA) at the Gauteng City Hall.
Lesufi said nyaope was on the verge of wiping out an entire generation.
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As part of his plans to fight substance abuse, he said, “We are expanding our farm in Cullinan at Dr Fabian and Florence Ribeiro Treatment Centre and other drug facilities with an additional 1 351 new beds.
“In the fight against homelessness, the province has a system in place to support and care for the homeless.
“To date, we have relocated almost 3 000 homeless people and are giving them meals, medical support, clothing, and shelter.
“We are putting in systems to prepare to support them during the coming winter.”
He added that non-profit organisations (NPOs) received more than R2b from the provincial government.
“With this amount of funding, we should be impactful in the fight against social ills.
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“This sector, not all of it, is riddled with squabbles and accounting irregularities.
“We are now appointing an independent audit team to audit all our NPOs and redirect them to the new mandate of our provincial government. Our mandate is simple – care for the elderly, the vulnerable and the poor,” added Lesufi.
He also spoke about mitigating urban hunger and said that over R64m has been set aside for food parcels, especially for people in poverty-stricken communities.
“In the current financial year, Gauteng has contributed R26m for the dignity packs programme.
“Our dignity packs include a bar of soap, toothpaste, deodorant, body lotion, toilet rolls, sanitary towels, facecloths, and a toothbrush. We truly care for our weak and vulnerable society,” added Lesufi.
