Enough is enough with drugs in Alex
JOBURG – Police urge community members to come forward with information that will lead to the arrests of drug dealers in Alex.
The gloomy weather on 17 March didn’t stop the Alexandra Police, together with other stakeholders, from taking over the streets of Alexandra.
The police, together with Metro police, officials from the Gauteng Department of Community Safety, the Community Policing Forum, community patrollers, Drug-Free World Organisation and indunas from Alexandra hostels braved the cold and rainy weather in order to send out a message against drugs and alcohol abuse.
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The stakeholders marched through the streets of Alexandra, chanting messages #DrugsMustFall, #AlcoholAbuseMustFall. They were also giving out pamphlets with information on the dangers of drug use.
The march received a thumbs-up from most residents who interacted with the police during the march. They said their township was riddled with a lot of drug users.
One of the community members, Phumla Mokeba pleaded with the police to arrest the drug dealers. She said her own son is a drug addict, adding that she has tried everything possible to get her son off drugs. She said he is now stealing from her and the family, who now live in fear.
Alexandra Police Station commander Brigadier Zoleka Kuboni urged community members to come forward with details of known drug dealers in the area. She said if community members have information about police officers from her station working with drug dealers, they must contact her personally and she will see to it that the law takes its course.
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The station commander said she is currently facing a challenge that people call her with incomplete information which she can’t use to confront corrupt officers. “A person will call and say police officers are corrupt and working with drug dealers. No detail of the name of the police officer or where they were seen with the drug dealer. People are scared to give full details and without that, we can’t do much.”
Kuboni added that she will see to it that whistle-blowers are protected.
She said it was about time that police officers, together with the community, work together to ensure that Alex is drug-free.
Head of Visible Policing at the station, Colonel Johannes Tau also pleaded with the community to not protect drug dealers and harbour them. “Drugs are killing our children and nation, if you know who sells drugs in the community, please come forward with that information,” Tau said. He added that police will not hesitate to take action and deal with drug dens once they receive such information.
Chairperson for Sector 4, Nelly Maseko thanked the management of Alexandra Police Station for initiating the awareness march. She said it was time that the rule of law takes over in Alex.
She said police must put a stop to taverns that are running 24 hours. She also urged the police to clamp down on public drinking, which said was seen as a normal thing in the township. “People walk freely, drinking alcohol on our roads. Please arrest them,” Maseko said adding that drug use and alcohol abuse were serious problems in the area.
She pointed out that children as young as eight years old were already using drugs.
