Youngsters feel party heat

POLOKWANE – Underage drinking and other illegal activities by youngsters under the age of 18 years is reportedly rife at some nightclubs and pubs in and around the city.

This topic was extremely popular on discussions in social media over the past couple of weeks.

According to posts on social media and some of the teens involved, they often frequented social drinking places and even though they were underage, they never had a problem being served liquor. Some of the teens also admitted to smoking marijuana and using other drugs from time to time while partying.

Some of these illicit activities were also spoken about at the schools that these teens attend. Once the matter was brought to the school principals’ attention, the learners who were reportedly involved underwent alcohol and drug testing at school, and some tested positive for alcohol and marijuana.

Review spoke to several schools in the city on their policies on drug and alcohol abuse and they all agreed that having a strict policy helped in stopping the problem to a certain extent.

Hoërskool Pietersburg (PHS) principal, Willie Schoeman, spoke to Review about the school’s strong views against alcohol and drug abuse. He said the school had a very strict policy and it was one of the first things that parents of prospective learners were advised on. “The abuse of drugs and alcohol in this school will not be tolerated; and this policy and the implementation thereof has assisted in making PHS one of the best schools in the province. Our achievements speak for themselves,” Schoeman said.

Some nightclub and pub owners and managers who spoke to Review said they were 100% dedicated to prevent and stop people who were underage from consuming alcohol. All of them claimed to have a strict no drugs policy.

One sports pub and pool bar owner, Naas Vorster, said even though his club was mentioned in some of the complaints on social media, he was dedicated to ensure that drug use and underage drinking did not occur at his establishment. “My advice to club owners in the city would be to check ID’s daily and refuse to sell alcohol to anyone they suspect is a minor who can’t produce his or her ID,” Vorster said.

He added that his establishment was strategically built to ensure that the barman could see anyone as they entered the establishment. “This allows immediate action to be taken to either escort minors out or to ask for ID’s to confirm ages,” he explained.

Another club owner, Joseph Ramukhandile, said because he worked closely with the Polokwane police and had regular spot checks at his club helped ensure that the people who supporte him knew he had zero tolerance when it came to the use of illegal substances and underage drinking.

South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) Polokwane representative, Amanda Swanepoel, urged youngsters to report any of their friends being involved in drug-related activities, not to point fingers, but to save their lives.

She said drug dependency was just a symptom of the actual problem and at Sanca they focused on dealing with the family as well as the dependent.

For more information on drug-related issues or drug testing, contact Sanca at (015) 295 3700, send an e-mail to amanda@fnda.co.za or visit their offices at 33 Church Street.

Polokwane police spokesperson, Capt Ntobeng Phala said where businesses were found breaking the law with regards to serving alcohol, they could be closed down and in some cases even face criminal prosecution. He urged children to stay in school and not make themselves guilty of any illegal activities.