SAPS bridge the gap with homeless at sports day

SAPS, sport and a ‘strike’ against stigmas – these were the order of the day at Hoy Park in Durban on Friday, December 2, where the SAPS Social Crime Prevention Unit hosted a sports day. Taking to the field in various sporting codes were members of the Bellhaven Harm Reduction Centre who marched to the sports ground sporting anti-stigmatisation slurs on placards and T-shirts. The centre, based in Greyville, offers free Methodone treatment to homeless people and People Who Use Drugs (PWUDs).

Commenting on the event, Col Musa Khaba of SAPS Social Crime Prevention Unit said the event aimed to ‘bridge the gap’ between SAPS and drug users.

“We are here to interact with youth who were using illicit substances. We want them to come forward, not to be scared of the police. They can share their problems with the police. We also want our members to understand their plight, so that going forward, they can make inroads in changing their behaviour for the better. This is a time to understand each other and close the gap between SAPS and (the homeless),” explained Khaba.

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Addressing stigmas around PWUDs was at the centre of the event for Sbiniso Xolo, a client at Bellhaven Harm Reduction Centre. Stigmatisation rose in recent years with the use of the derogatory term, ‘ama para’ or ‘para’ (derived from the word parasite) – used to refer to drug users.

“When people hear the word ‘para’, they think of someone who is useless, with no potential and no future. We are still human beings – we have rights. It’s just that we find ourselves on drugs – we still have a lot ahead of us in our future,” commented Xolo.

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Another client centre member, Nonkululeko Ngcema, grappled with drug use for a decade before she started Methodone treatment at Bellhaven.

“I couldn’t have reached this stage if it wasn’t for Methodone and the psychosocial support from the centre. I started using drugs in 2010, and I was using drugs until 2021 when I met someone from Bellhaven who convinced me to join the programme,” said Ngcema. “We came here to plead for equal rights and talk about stigmas. We are also here to talk about access to healthcare services and how Methadone has helped us. We want Methodone to be available at public healthcare facilities to help drug users across South Africa.”