Organisations in Villa Liza on a quest to combat drug abuse

Tshwaranang Community Centre in partnership with Ward 45 South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) and Chris Hani Clinic held a drug addiction referral initiative in Villa Liza on October 28.

Melanie January, the founder of Tsharanang Community Centre, said the aim was to extend help to drug addicts in their area.

“We did one referral today but were expecting to do a lot more. We referred a young boy who is mentally disabled to Chris Hani Clinic. His mental impairment is believed to have been caused by drug usage.

“The centre has assisted many young men who are mentally challenged, mostly due to drugs,” said January.
She added that through her organisation she wants to combat the ills in her area.

“I believe the government is failing us in fighting drug syndicates. I have written to our president and police minister to help us in tackling substance abuse in our area, but they haven’t heeded my call,” she said.

Leonel Brown, the Sanco chairperson in Ward 45, said he believes a lack of recreational and sporting facilities is a contributor to young people turning to drugs in Villa Liza.

“Most of our youth are hopeless and jobless. Many real issues need to be addressed here – substance abuse is only one of the issues.

“We will continue working with various organisations to address social ills by putting the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ into practice,” Brown said.

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