WATCH: ‘A beacon of hope for those seeking help’
Families have been torn apart, lives destroyed and many young men and women consigned to the rubbish heap after numerous failed attempts at rehabilitation.
A mother at her wits’ end, battling to rescue her son from the deadly grip of substance abuse lies at the centre of anti-drug and community activist, Dereleen James’ story.
Hers is not an uncommon one for many who are watching their loved ones’ lives being ravaged by addiction.
James’s story reached national prominence after she appealed to President Jacob Zuma in a heart-rending letter to step in and tackle the ever-growing drug crisis in Eldorado Park.
As drug peddlers infiltrate the community and the drug scourge takes an even firmer foothold, the community is faced with a host of hitherto alien repercussions as a result of the widespread drug abuse in Eldos.
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Violent crime is on the increase, robberies are common and desperate addicts even resort to stealing wet washing off the line as a way to score their next hit.
Families have been torn apart, lives destroyed and many young men and women consigned to the rubbish heap after numerous failed attempts at rehabilitation.
James, from her experiences with her son, advocates an approach which seeks to create an environment in which substance-dependent persons and their families can find the help they desperately need.
Not content to rest on her laurels after Zuma’s historic visit to Eldorado Park, James established the Yellow Ribbon Foundation (YRF) to provide help for families negotiating the twists and turns of addiction.
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At the launch of the YRF Wellness Hub on November 24 in a container adjacent to Lancea Vale Secondary School, she said, “I don’t want anyone to go through the struggles I did. I want anyone to be able to knock on these doors and be assured that they will receive access to services.
“The Yellow Ribbon Foundation must be a beacon of hope in the fight against substance abuse and the shame and stigma attached to drug addiction.”
YRF have partnered with Coca-Cola South Africa to establish the centre and Janet Rambau, district manager for Coca-Cola Beverages SA West Rand said, “We are in it for the long haul, let’s make this bigger by joining hands.
“We make a living from what we get, but we make a life from the positive things we do.”
In attendance were Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department superintendent, Wayne Minnaar, Interpol ambassador Andy Mashaile and Yusuf Abramjee who were in agreement that law enforcement agencies should deal more effectively with drug dealers and corrupt police who were at the root of the drug pandemic in Eldorado Park.
Video 1:
Former footballer Junaid Hartley and 7de Laan floor manager Terence Abrahams delivered powerful testimonies about their experiences with drugs and Abrahams’s raw theatrical performance tugged at the heartstrings of those in attendance.
Lancea Vale Secondary School principal Ashley Phillips welcomed the collaboration between YRF, Coca-Cola SA and the school and said, “It is right that schools collaborate with the community in fighting substance abuse and we are bowled over by Coca-Cola SA’s joining hands with us. The journey starts now.”
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