SUIDEROORD – A YOUNGSTER who is a recovering drug addict was called upon by Executive Mayor Parks Tau’s wife, Philisiwe Twala-Tau, and ANC Ward 54 Region F Mzala Branch to educate the youth on the dangers of drug and substance abuse.
Recovering addict Sihle Manana joined other guests of honour, such as social workers from SANCA, House of Mercy, Show Me Your Number and Mzala Branch top officials. The event took place in Suideroord on the corner of Columbine Avenue and Potgieter Street on April 12.
The intervention gathering was an effort by Region F Ward 54 to tackle youth substance abuse in South communities. This was part of the City of Johannesburg’s investment in communities proactive in combating their own community problems.
Children as young as nine are targets of drug dealers in the South, who perceive them as easy money because they reside in the suburbs.
The pocket money allowance given to children by their parents has made them the target of drug dealers. Many teenagers and twenty-something-year-olds have fallen prey to these drug predators who also do house calls.
SANCA Social Worker Lorraine Mntwana explained that pocket money opens up a source to youngsters who are able to afford and purchase drugs. “Parents should be more aware of what children buy with their pocket money,” she advised.
“When drugs harm us, what can we do?” This was the question Sihle Manana and officials at the event wanted to answer.
Sihle recounted his real life story of how drugs almost destroyed him and pushed him to the verge of suicide. When it all became unmanageable, Sihle found himself on the streets of Hillbrow, living like a homeless person and strung out on drugs.
When this young man from the South dropped out of school and ran away from home, he was approached by drug dealing Nigerians on the streets of Hillbrow. What he had to do for the next fix was to traffic drugs together with pregnant women, who offered themselves and their babies as mules.
According to Sihle, the women would be cut open, the baby taken out and replaced with a stash of drugs to be trafficked to various locations. He told an attentive audience how he started with soft drugs such as weed and alcohol and progressed to hard drugs like heroine.
“Mom worked hard to give me an education and the lifestyle other suburban children enjoy. I was given money for entertainment, movies and stuff,” explained Sihle. Soon he started using his entertainment budget to purchase drugs.
The music he listened to also played a major role in his drug abuse activities, as some of the songs encouraged the recreational use of drugs, alcohol and womanising behaviour.
Through Mrs Twala-Tau’s development programmes she identified that there’s a problem of drug and substance abuse, and that there’s a perception that children in Ward 54 have sufficient allowances.
“Dagga is easy because they can buy it with their allowance, but drugs like heroine are expensive and can’t be covered by the allowance,” said Mrs Twala-Tau. This leads drug addicted children to selling household goods so they can have enough money to buy more expensive drugs.
Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) CEO and Founder of Love Jozi Generations programme, Mrs Philisiwe Twala-Tau, said her aim was to make a positive impact on children’s souls.
Her Love Jozi Generation programme is an initiative with a purpose to keep children aged between nine and 15 focused on academic excellence and to receive leadership development. Children in the programme also receive training in life skills and are engaged in social assistance sub-programmes in their areas, which teaches them self-management, responsibility and commitment.
