Fundraiser to help recovering drug users
He was introduced to drugs at 17 by a group of friends who bought khat at an event.
The Tsohang Youth Centre (TYC) launched a fundraising campaign with support from the National Lottery to build a drug rehabilitation centre to assist recovering addicts from Kathorus at Katlehong Skills Centre on February 24.
The launch is a build-up for the main fundraiser and birthday celebration of the TYC founder, Moses Gama (44), which will be held from 08:00 to 17:00 at Huntersfield Stadium on April 27.
The TYC hopes to raise funds through ticket sales, which cost R70. The ticket grants one access to the event and a chance to participate in the raffle, where at least four people can win prizes.
The prizes include R60 000 cash, R30 000 worth of recording equipment, a R10 000 grocery voucher and a R7 000 Mozambique weekend getaway.
Gama said their short-term vision is to raise R2m to buy two houses they can convert into a day clinic and an inpatient centre and a rehab to upskill and refer people to a rehabilitation centre.
However, the long-term vision is to build, in the next five years, a rehab centre that will cater for at least 200 people in the township.
“This initiative will also help to upskill our people and create job opportunities for 30 locals, like facilitators, community developers, social workers, social axillaries, doctors and psychologists.
“In the long-term, it will create job opportunities for 90 people while we upskill and help our people,” said Gama.
He said they urge people to buy tickets to this initiative because they look forward to selling 30 000 tickets to reach the R2m target.
He said if one household could buy one or two tickets, it would go a long way.
“This is not for Gama or the TYC. It is for the community,” he added.
Economic benefits for local business
Gama said entrepreneurs would benefit directly and indirectly on April 27. They will get stalls, and by being part of the event, help a child with drug addiction.
He said their target is to get at least 30 000 people, but there can be more, and they expect at least 40 000 people to attend.
“On the day, businesspeople can set up their stalls with table sets and gazebos and sell their products. All they have to do is buy 20 or more tickets. They do not have to pay for stalls.
“We have to support each other for us to grow. Remember, once we have the halfway centre, we will be procuring food, equipment, branding and other needs.
“We keep emphasising that this is for our kasi, so we are telling that to our businesspeople. They must support each other as well. We have many shopping centres, but they do not benefit us. Ours is to consume.”
Gama said drugs affect people physiologically, financially, socially and holistically when you look at the issue of crime.
“When you go to the correctional centres, you will see a lot of our young people incarcerated.
“It affects us in many ways, but we do not have to judge because this is a substance use disorder, meaning it is a disease.
“We must treat our people as health patients, and our people must be able to get help. It is sad that when they seek help, they only get it after two months. So we are saying have more rehabs and halfway centres because there is a great need,” he concluded.
Nontsha Nciza (77) said it is a good initiative and an expansion of what the TYC has invested in over the years.
She said families are in crisis because of drugs and do not know what to do.
“Projects like this give families support and a platform to address their addicted children. Once that happens, families get skills on handling the addicted child,” said Nciza.
“Some families tend to treat this challenge as a secret. I think by having big facilities, even those who did not want to go public will know they can get help from this type of project.”
Beyond this, she hopes there is a strong element of prevention in the project so that people of all ages are prevented from trying drugs.
“The public lives in a stress-inducing environment where people cannot cope and relieve themselves through drugs. There is a need for the promotion of health and the prevention of drugs,” she explained.
“It is a pity that in our country, while we have adopted the delivery of health through primary health care, I need someone to show me which local or provincial government is delivering it through primary healthcare as outlined in the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978.
“Because if this was given it would cover the element of prevention. The current situation in South Africa is that you hear about health when you are ill. We must hear about it while we are still healthy. The curing of disease cannot be through clinics and hospitals only, and health must be where we are through community-based programmes,” she concluded.
Kathorus MAIL spoke to two recovering drug users who are members of the TYC.
Siyanda Mvumvu (35) shared that he was influenced by the township lifestyle of seeing his uncles drink and smoke. He aspired to be like them because they always had ladies and money.
Mvumvu said he was a well-behaved child in primary school and participated in sports until he and his peers were introduced to pantsula in high school.
He said they used lunch money to buy dagga and alcohol and, over time, they started taking a pill called a double star.
“There was a dance group we were a part of. After practice, there was nothing to smoke, so we started to rob people. When we succeed, we come back to smoke and drink until I found myself in the Boksburg Correctional Service.”
Mvumvu was arrested for an unlicensed firearm, theft and robbery, and served two-and-half years before getting parole for good behaviour.
He said it is hard reintegrating into society, and it depends on whether a person is remorseful and regrets committing the crime.
“They call it correctional service, but it is a corrupt service because correction depends on an individual. If a person was not well behaved inside, he might be influenced by gangsters and start recruiting children to crime once released,” he said.
“I was released but had to face the reality of unemployment. I tried different NPOs until I found TYC. It played a huge role because we were trained to face our communities and schools.”
He said he is currently a coach and facilitator under the Ke Moja Programme – I Am Fine Without Drugs, a drug awareness programme in schools.
Lwazi Gabela (21) from Phooko, Katlehong, said he was introduced to drugs at 17 by friends who bought khat at an event.
“That is how I started smoking. It went on for five years until I realised I was destroying my future. I had to take action and change my life.
“I came to TYC seeking help, and they assisted me. I completed my matric last year and obtained a Bachelor’s degree. Now I am doing computer studies,” said Gabela.
A member of the TYC, Lerato Nkopane (26), said the issue of drugs hit close to home because she has older brothers battling drug addiction.
However, she is confident that TYC will help them because most substance and drug abusers are young.
“I think they will be inspired because most TYC members are young and will easily grasp the message. We understand each other,” said Nkopane.
After finding out about the older brothers, the home situation changed, and she said the family had lost respect for them.
“It was difficult because we did not have information. I was fortunate to be a part of the TYC, so I understood the roots and reasons for addiction. Being part of this is a blessing because now I can calm my family down and make them understand the situation.”
She said she is still trying to recruit her brothers to join the TYC programme.
Details of the fundraiser event
Venue: Huntersfield Stadium
Date: April 27
Time: 08:00 – 17:00
Tickets: R70
For more information, call Gama on 083 827 4924.
