Organisation marches through CBD to say no to drugs
The aim was to raise awareness about drug abuse and drug dealing in Kempton Park
THE Local Drug and Alcohol Committee (LDAC) together with Kempton Park SAPS embarked on a march against substance abuse on Friday morning.
A memorandum was handed over to the Kempton magistrate’s court manager, petitioning against two Nigerian nationals, Timothy Nwanguma (39) and Ghanaian Moses Dumaine (29) for manufacturing drugs at a house in Terenure Street in Norkem Park.
The two suspects have appeared in court several times amid protest by LDAC against the suspects being granted bail. However, the two were given bail.
LDAC wants to see the eradication of drugs and substance abuse being made top priority in Kempton, as it hopes this will reduce crime in the city. The aim was to raise awareness about drug abuse and drug dealing in Kempton Park.
The drug march started at the Shoprite complex on Langenhoven Street and major problem streets such as West Street, Central Avenue, Kempton Road, Maxwell Street and Long Street up until Monument Road were covered.
The march was led by LDAC members and DA Clr Jaco Terblanche as well as Kempton SAPS and metro police members together with some of the children from St George’s Children Home and Miss Tourism South Africa.
“The march was to show the entire community that our teenagers and youth are becoming increasingly lost to drug addiction and it’s so heartbreaking to witness how young people have become slaves to illegal substances such as nyaope,” Kempton SAPS spokesperson, Capt Jethro Mtshali, said.
Also read:
• We are losing the war against drugs
“Drug addiction can also lead to teenage pregnancy, bullying and even suicides in both young and old people. This also leads to more youth dropping out of school.”
Mtshali emphasised earlier in the week that the rate of crime in Kempton had grown rapidly because many drug addicts stole in order to maintain their drug and alcohol addiction.
The case of the suspects who are petitioned against will appear in Kempton magistrate’s court on November 9 for trial.
