JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – Premier David Makhura says parents in Gauteng are worried about whether their children will become victims of drug abuse as substances such as nyaope continues to ravage townships and tear families apart .
Delivering the State of the Province Address on Monday February 23, Makhura said the provincial government will intensify the implementation of its comprehensive response to the drug scourge.
“We are enhancing our capacity to deal with the prevention and treatment of drug abuse, and working with the police to clamp down on the production and distribution of illegal substances,” he said.
In this regard, the provincial government has designed a prototype treatment centre which will service as a one stop centre to provide integrated and comprehensive treatment of substance abuse and improve access.
In addition to in-patient and out-patient treatment, the centre will also provide skills development, and serve as a halfway house to ease integration back into society.
Building of the first centre will commence in 2016 and centres will be built in each of the province’s five regions, Makhura said, adding that the role of civil society was crucial in building a social movement against drugs.
In addition, he said eradicating gender-based violence required active collaboration across civil society sectors and government.
“We will in the year ahead actively mobilise communities and join hands with civil society organisations, in particular men, to join in the fight against gender-based violence.
“We will build on work to date to improve forensics capacity in the province, including the training of forensic social workers, to improve conviction rates,” he said.
He also noted that government would continue to expand access to victim support services and places of refuge for victims of abuse, bringing the total number of green doors in the province to 50 over the next few years.
Ikhaya Lethemba will continue to provide support to victims, including in assisting them in bringing their perpetrators to book. Government will further upscale the number of victims of abuse who are assisted, with access to economic opportunities.
In this regard, Makhura said government would continue to work in communities to reach thousands of men through the Men as Safety Promoters groups, and work in collaboration with the movement of men and boys against gender-based violence.
