Shalom House of Refuge is taking a stand against drugs.
One of the homemade drugs on the street, nyaope, has claimed lives and devastated countless families.
“Nyaope, which is easily accessible due to its low cost, mostly affects people who have no food and shelter and rely on petty crime to feed their habit,” said Ms Margaret Sikhulu from Shalom House of Refuge, a shelter for women and children in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg CBD, at the corner of Commissioner and Goud streets, has been identified as a hot spot for substance abusers and there are new hot spots that crop up around town.
Shalom in conjunction with various religious groups embarked on an intervention prayer session on April 2 at this hot spot.
Ms Sikhulu said, “We chose this particular hot spot because of the large number of substance abusers residing at this place. We chose it because of the number of women and children residing at this unhealthy place and are victims of abuse.
“The building is notorious for keeping people from their families for years, almost as if the residents imprison themselves. A young man who left his home 20 years ago in Soweto is currently staying at this hot spot, and a pregnant woman who escaped from an abusive relationship was traced to this hot spot not only smoking nyaope, but injecting herself with it.”
“This building is a drug hell for substance abusers from various places in the country and across the borders. The place is inhabited mostly by sick people since they inject themselves and pass on the syringe from one person to another without sterilising it, which increases the risk of HIV and other related diseases. The number of residents living here is plus minus 300, women and children included.
“Their mental state is not very stable since they say something else and do something different from what they say. They also display an attitude of hopelessness,” said Ms Sikhulu.
“Those in attendance during the April 2 event included members from churches, the regional social department, the police and parents who went looking for their missing children,” she said.
She said Shalom House of Refuge will continue servicing this hot spot in terms of support, encouragement, hospitalisation, counselling, rehabilitation, family re-unifications, skills development and employment, since many left their homes due to abuse.
