DA marches against drugs in Benoni
The DA called for the reintroduction of specialised narcotics units within the SAPS, during their anti-drug march today (July 4).
“If we do not reintroduce specialised units in this country as a whole, we are never going to get a lid on drugs or the crimes related to drugs,” said MPL Michele Clarke, Provincial Safety and Security spokesperson.
The march, which started at Lakeside Mall, CBD, moved through Western Extension before arriving at Benoni Police Station, where the convoy handed over a memorandum with their proposed anti-drug measures to the Benoni SAPS.
The convoy was led by Clarke, Clr Mary Goby (Ward 28), Malanie Haggard (PR councillor), Clr Stephanie Kruger (Ward 24) and Clr Gerrie Kriek (Ward 27).
Two biker clubs, the Legion Motorcycle Club (Benoni) and Crusaders South Africa (Johannesburg) joined the proceeding and EMPD, SAPS and ER24 were present for safety and traffic management.
The march followed a specific route along Elston Avenue, before heading for the police station.
“When we chose the route, we were very specific about which roads we would go down, the main houses (drug dens) are down Elston, that’s why the majority of our walk is down Elston,” said Goby.
“In this area there are a lot of drug kingpins, supplying drugs to pushers and it’s those guys (kingpins) we need to close down,” said Clarke.
“If the small guys can’t get supplies, they’re off the streets.”
“Many people have been living here in Western Extension for 20 or 30 years, but can’t get their houses sold now, because of the area’s reputation, due to drugs,” said Haggard.
In addition to the drug problem in Benoni, the DA highlighted the chain reaction of crimes caused by illegal substances.
“Abuse (of drugs) destroys the user’s life and they other commit crimes to support their habits,” said Clarke.
“In Benoni we have a lot of petty crimes, which are all committed for drugs,” said Goby.
“We’ve also got a big problem with prostitution in this area,” said Haggard.
“With a lot of these ladies, the kingpins first made them addicted, then put them out on the streets, so I do have a certain amount of sympathy for these ladies, if we could get rid of the kingpins we will be able to get the prostitutes off the streets as well .”
In addition to the request for specialised crime units, the memorandum calls for more visible policing around schools, more frequent raids on suspected drug dens and more intense investigation into police officers accused of colluding with drug dealers.
