Drug dealers are embedded within communities

Cathrine Moropa of Phagameng in Modimolle said some of the pedlars dealing in the additive “nyaope” concoction were members of the community.

“We need to stop protecting them. As society the way we raise our children plays a big role,” she said.

Moropa said when children are neglected, they become vulnerable and can be easily introduced to drugs.

She called on parents to watch their children and not allow them to go out at night at street corners and spaza shops.

Moropa said life coaches must be involved in assisting addicts through behavioural change programmes.

“The community gave up the fight, and the scourge is spreading. We must not wait until we are direct victims because the society is affected, in a sense that we are potential victims of crime.
For the addicts to feed their habit, they are mostly forced to steal from their own communities,” she said.

Khomotso Phakgadi of Mookgophong feels that as much as the community seems to be concerned about this problem, much is not being done in terms of taking action against this plague.

“There are no initiatives within our communities to combat the problem of nyaope and other drugs. We need to put in place more programmes which young people can participate in,” he said.

Tsheletsi Selepe of Modimolle said society is not doing enough in assisting to curb the scourge of nyaope.

He said it all begins with parents allowing their children to smoke cigarettes, even when they are still under-age.

“The problem is that we have normalised the abnormal. Irrespective of cigarettes being legal, we have a lot of parents sitting in their homes with children who are smoking, and some of the parents even buy their children cigarettes. How is that supposed to be normal? I am saying this because it is not easy for a child to move directly to nyaope without having passed through a cigarette first,” he said.

– The BEAT