New support centre opens in Randfontein

Deputy Minister of Social Development, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, and Gauteng’s MEC for Social Development, Nandi Mayatula Khoza officially opened the Randfontein Inpatient Abuse Centre on 26 June.

The opening ceremony also marked International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The occasion was also graced by the two executive mayors, councillors Nawa Mpho of the West Rand District Municipality and Mzi Khumalo of Randfontein.

A number of celebrities added spice to the occasion, among them several top actors and presenters, including Wayne van Rooyen from the e-TV soapie Scandal, Andile Gaelesiwe, the presenter of SABC 1’s Khumbul’ekhaya, Lesley Musina from SABC 2’s Muvhango, and Israel Makoe (aka GP MaOrange), formerly on Tsotsi and Yizo Yizo, and now on e-TV’s Zibondiwe.

In her keynote address, the Deputy Minister called on society to go back to the basics of family life as a way to fight against drug abuse. She emphasised the need to not be judgemental towards addicts, saying that drug abuse actually starts at home, when parents resort to using negative language to reprimand a mischievous child. “When we raise our children, we tend to use negative language depending on how many times we have to speak to the child to get a positive result,” she said. She went on to say, “Everything that is wrong in society starts at family level, so, in order to win the fight against drug abuse we have to go back to family.” She continued her speech, expressing her grave concern about the availability of designer drugs, which emerge daily. These drugs include a deadly concoction made of nyaope, tik and wunga, which is referred to as “Mercedes Benz”.

The Deputy Minister went on to say that the opening of the Randfontein Inpatient Abuse Centre serves as a contribution to the Presidential Summit on Drugs, which will be held in October (Social Development Month) and that President Jacob Zuma is fully behind the fight against drugs and substance abuse.

She also introduced the Department of Social Development’s Gender-based Violence Command Centre, which the public can call on matters relating to social ills such as rape and abuse. The public can call the Command Centre on 0800 428 428 or request a social worker to call back by dialling *120*7867#.

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