‘Our future, our responsibility’
The Tsakane newly established youth programme is dedicated in fighting against drugs and alcohol abuse.
Tsakane Youth Development Programme was established in March last year. The young people came together with the aim of fighting and defeating the drugs and alcohol abuse that has robbed many young people of their future.
According to the organisation’s chairman, Pule Moloi, they formed the organisation to help young people who are hooked on drugs.
“Many of these youth were the main breadwinners in their families and lost their jobs due to their addictions and now families live in poverty,” says Pule.
He says their organisation is there to assist the youth on drugs and teach their families about how to treat them. Pule also explains that the organisation has noticed that the people who mostly are the victims of drugs are from the age of 14 years. Adding that the organisation’s priority is to ensure drug-free and no alcohol abuse communities.
“We help book those who are on drugs and admit to need help, at the rehab centres in Pretoria and Boksburg,” says Pule. He says the challenge that they face is that of drug addicts who do not want to admit that they have a problem and need help to overcome the problem.
“Despite a call for help from the concerned family members of the drug addict, sometimes the drug addict refuses to get help,” says Pule.
Vusi Nhlapho from ward 83 youth and community safety desk encouraged the young people to work together and fight the challenge that is facing them.
He says the community also needs to take responsibility to fight and ensure that all the drug dealers are put behind bars.
“If the communities work together with the police to reveal those who sell drugs and kill the nation, it is possible to have the drug-free societies,” says Nhlapho.
Tsakane senior citizen Elizabeth Khumalo (78) applauded the action that the youth organisation has taken to fight against drugs.
“Drug addicts have taken away my freedom to walk on the street at night because I fear for my life,” says a worried Khumalo. She says she has been a victim of house break-ins, allegedly by young people who steal to sell so that they can be able to buy drugs.
|”I believe that the increase of crime in our township is due to the youth who want to satisfy their feelings of craving for drugs,” sadly says Khumalo.
She concluded by saying that she does not feel safe, not even in her own home and that she prays that the youth organisation succeeds in its fight against drugs so that she will not worry about being robbed of her pension money by the drug addicts.
