Rashida Abrahams, a concerned resident, and her team organised a campaign against drug abuse which took place during the Youth Day weekend.
“We are busy with a petition that we would like to hand over to the Department of Justice and the police. When drug dealers get arrested, they walk out in a few days and that’s not right,” Abrahams said.
According to Abrahams, a lot of young people get involved with drugs and it leads to their deaths.
“They get desperate and then they turn to crime. The goal of the campaign isn’t to provoke the drug dealers but rather to get a message across that the residents have had enough.”
They started the campaign on Friday by going to schools and handing out pamphlets. The drug dealers use underage learners to sell their drugs because they know they can’t be arrested, said Abrahams.
They carried a child’s coffin during the petition to represent all of the young lives lost due to the drugs in the neighborhood. On Saturday, 16 June they set up camp in one of the streets where they encouraged other residents to sign their petition and to grab some warm coffee or tea and something to eat.
“It starts with drug and leads to other social ills like domestic violence, rape, and theft,” said Abrahams.
The campaign isn’t politically aligned but they get a lot of support from the DA. The police were also very visible during the campaign and protected the team and their supporters against the disgruntled drug dealers.
“A few drug dealers tried to intimidate us during the campaign but we ware taking a stand and letting them know that we are starting to fight back.”
They also want to empower people to get the help they need by taking them to rehab and helping them get their lives on track.
“They need to know that drugs are not the answer to any problem.”
A lot of older people have come forward and said that they have a problem at their homes because they get intimidated and even robbed by the drug dealers.
“The drug dealers come onto our property when they run away from the police. My elderly mother doesn’t sleep at night because she has to stay alert. During the day, we can’t leave the house because they do business in the street and curse and yell at us when they see us,” said Angeline Lessing Meyers, a resident of Toekomsrus.
The campaign ended on Sunday with 883 signatures supporting their petition. Abrahams believes that they got their message across.
“This is a new start for Toekomsrus. We are going to take this campaign and run with it,” she said.
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