A GENERATION of children and youth will soon be lost to drugs, especially nyaope, if the community and government do not act decisively and soon.
This was said by Bulldog Rathokolo, chairperson of the Alex Community Police Forum when recounting the challenges faced by the forum which conducts patrols as part of the community’s participation in crime prevention.
This paper has carried numerous articles on the drug problem in Alexandra, including revelations by the South African National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence about the extent of damage caused by nyaope to children as young as 13.
Leratong Joy For One, an NPO which works with addicted children aged from 13-19, has said that most of the children had dropped out of school and cause havoc in the home and community by stealing to sustain their drug habit.
Also, when announcing the provincial plan for the Department of Public Safety, Minister Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said drug control legislation has been amended to include the use and peddling of nyaope as a prosecutable offence.
Rathokolo said that very soon, all homes will be affected directly by the impact of the drug, especially with the high level of unemployment which breeds frustration. Added to this is the lack of recreational facilities which means that children had nowhere to go and nothing to do during their spare time – except to experiment with whatever was brought to them.
He identified three spots on 6th, 13th and 15th avenues where youths are said to congregate daily to smoke the drug. He said those high on the drug have runny noses and they drool. He said they are very thin, drowsy and sleepy-looking with incoherent speech and untidiness.
He said that many parents of addicted children have given up on them and are unconcerned that they have dropped out of school. He said police have a hard time with the addicts, as in most cases, they find them not in possession but already drugged and cannot arrest them.
“To save these children, I encourage parents to recommit to their parenting responsibilities and report the children to the police so that, with a social workers’ recommendation, they can be taken to rehabilitation centres,” he said.
Rathokolo also appealed to parents and law abiding residents to report any drug dealers they know of to the police, and for the police to display pictures of all drugs in public places so that residents are able to identify.them.
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