GALLERY: Clean-up in Windsor East

The Windsor Local Drug Action Committee (LDAC) held a clean-up on 22 August aimed at keeping Windsor East clean and drug free.

LDAC partnered with Ambassadors 4 Change, Break the Shame, Linden Police, Metro Police, Sanca, Phoenix House and the Windsor East clinic.

The clean-up took place on Beatrice Street, where volunteers picked up about 20 bags of rubbish around the area and handed out pamphlets to residents who may experience any drug related problems.

A community member who spoke under condition of anonymity pointed out a particular shop as the drug spot for many users and said that some even slept there.

She accused police of looking the other way as they did their patrols around the area.

“The dealers stand at the corner and sell their drugs while the police take bribes from them, and there is nothing that we as the community can do,” she said.

Selaelo Mohajane from LDAC said drugs in Windsor East was a big problem that needed to be addressed head on. She added that LDAC, which was launched last year, was fighting the scourge of drugs in the area by engaging with residents.

“The biggest challenge at present is that the dealers don’t come from this area and the police only arrest the small peddlers, which in the end doesn’t solve the problem,” she said.

She added that together with their stakeholders, LDAC was spreading awareness on the effects of drug and substance abuse.

“Even though the change is small, slowly we can see a change when someone from the community comes to us looking for help either for themselves or a family member,” Mohajane said.

Local actor Themba Nofemele was also part of the events and encouraged the community to continue fighting against drugs.