Youngsters get motivational talk from reformed drug addict
The family day picnic and sports day was open for the whole community to attend
VICTORY Chapel Church hosted an Easter picnic fun day at Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld High School.
The family day picnic and sports day was open for the whole community to attend.
Sports teams, including soccer, volleyball and table tennis faced each other in various matches on the day.
There was even a team of Kempton Park police officers who played against a church team in a soccer game.
Young entrepreneur Mahlatse Rashelo, who is a former drug addict, spoke to the youth about his past and overcoming his addiction.
Rashelo started his very own clothing brand and is involved in a project that he says will also help others in the community.
“I was once an addict and I know how drugs work. That’s why I want to work with the police and Local Drug Action Committee to come up with something that will be closer to the youth, especially with eliminating drug abuse and poverty alleviation within the community,” Rashelo said.
Rashelo said he used cat for about three years before making the decision to start a new chapter in his life.
“And now this is my third month since I stopped taking drugs.”
Raised by a single parent, Rashelo described how before taking drugs, he and his mother were extremely close and he was able to talk to her about anything.
“But once I became hooked, my mother and I grew apart. While taking drugs, I thought I was spiting my mother but in fact, I was spiting myself.”
As a result of his addiction, Rashelo says he missed out on a lot of opportunities, such as registering business ideas he had in the past, and instead wasting the money he received from his mother.
“But now I have made the decision to turn my life around and take a stand against my addiction. I now know that drugs can delay a person’s life, as they have mine. So that’s why I took a decision to change.”
