Alex recovering drug addict receives a hero’s welcome back from the community

After battling with drug addiction for more than 10 years, the 32-year-old father of two, Zakhele Mokoena received a hero’s welcome back from the church and members of the community.

Mokoena recently returned home after having spent two months of the festive season in a rehabilitation centre, paving his way out of the addiction trap.

Zakhele who lost his mother in November last year said the passing of his mother opened his eyes and he decided to seek help out of drugs.

“I started doing drugs 10 years ago after I was introduced to dagga by one of my friends who had been smoking it for some time. I then graduated to things like crystal meth and later nyaope. I wasted more than a decade of my life destroying my life. I stole almost everything at home to feed my addiction and I was forced to leave home to sleep under the bridges. I lost the respect of many in my family including my children.”

Zakhele said approaching his aunt Kuki Mokoena, who helps drugs addicts escaped addictions in and around Alexandra, was not an easy thing because she had tried to offer him help before and he refused it.

He said there were times he wanted to leave the rehabilitation centre and go back to the streets and continue with his life of addiction.

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“The first week at the rehabilitation centre was very difficult for me. There were moments I thought of escaping the centre and go back to the street. But there something said to me ‘your mother died late last year and you are on your own’.

“I realised that life is too short and I decided to suppress those thoughts of escaping. I want to change my life and be a role model to my children and my community.”

His aunt, Kuki Mokoena who organised the welcome back event for Zakhele, thanked the United Church Ministries for their support and prayers.