Affected family launches an NPO to fight drugs

Mathuo Rakometsi founded an NGO called Families against Substance Abuse (FASA) to fight the scourge of drug abuse in South African townships.

This follows after the family was unable to find help for their teenager (20) who has been struggling with drug addiction for the past three years.

According to Rakometsi, who is also an older sister to the 20-year-old, drugs are a ticking time bomb and they are destroying many families in the townships and the country at large.

Rakometsi explained that her brother started experimenting with hubbly bubbly when he was around 13 and as time went by he discovered cigarettes and dagga.

“I think it was in 2019 when he started experimenting with hard drugs like crystal meth,” said Rakometsi.

She said the past year was very intense. He gained access to some money, which gave him free access to the drug that he was abusing.

“This year there were incidents of aggression, physical altercation, verbal and emotional abuse for both myself and my mother,” she said.

She explained that it got to a point where she had to open a case against him.

“There was an incident at home, which made me get a protection order against him. It happened in the morning. He woke me up and accused me of stealing his drugs and money. I decided to involve the police.

“In March, I was granted an interim protection order. He has contravened that court order I think four times,” she said.

She said they are currently going through criminal proceedings for a contravention of a court order, but the process is slow.

FASA’s objective

The organisation was formed after the family had many interactions with various departments from which they needed help, such as the Department of Justice, Social Development and Health as well as the SAPS and rehab centres.

It focuses on providing support for affected families, advocating for the change of laws and policies to respond to the current social landscape and prevention to predisposed youths.

Proposed thoughts

Rakometsi said three departments must collaborate and also include families that are affected so that they can help them to come up with laws that will help people because the issue of drug abuse affects all of them.

“Families are being sent back and forth and in the end, there is no solution because the department can only operate within the confines of their policies and the law,” she added.

She said a first course of action is for a person to admit that they have a problem.

“They would then go to a medical centre and submit a medical test to go to rehab.”

The second course of action is involuntary, whereby a family member would write a statement about how the drug abuse is affecting the abuser’s well-being.

“I wrote that type of statement. It was eight pages long and our social worker also wrote a report. Things got stuck because the prosecutor said my statement is vague and the second time he said he does not see how the drugs are linked to the violence,” said Rakometsi.

She said another issue is that they do not know the legal jargon.

“I think there should be some education on their part to help us understand how to draft statements in such a way that it makes sense to them, I think that is very important,” she said.

A way forward

FASA has started an online petition to call on the Minister of the Department of Justice Ronald Lamola, Department of Social Development, the SAPS, SANCA and rehabs to collaborate in amending laws related to drug abuse and dependence.

She says there needs to be a greater response to the current social landscape.

Rakometsi said the petition will be a first critical step to changing the laws and getting urgent help to drug abusers whose substance abuse adversely affects the welfare and well-being of those who live with them.

It currently has 28 signatures. FASA is calling on the public to visit website to sign and contribute to the fight against drugs.

“I am doing this because I know 11 other families struggling with a child who is addicted to drugs. I’m tired of complaining, it is time we stood as a collective as affected members and guide our government institutions on how to help us.

“Not only for peace in our homes but even help for the abuser because our townships are sitting on a time bomb on the issue of substance abuse,” she concluded.