Concern about youngsters hooked on drugs
Speaking to the DA youth deputy chairperson and PR Councillor of ward 2, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, said there is no single age group of people more affected by drugs than young people.
The youth of the Democratic Alliance (DA) has recognised the escalating rate of substance abuse in communities, especially among the youth in the community of Tembisa.
The DA youth deputy chairperson and PR councillor of Ward Two, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, said there is no single age group of people more affected by drugs than young people.
“It is for this reason that the DA youth were out in their numbers in Makhulong and Tsepo Section driving the ‘Stop drug use in Ekurhuleni’ petition. Drugs are an issue everywhere – for you, for your family, schools, communities and neighbours. Drugs affect each and every one of us, directly or indirectly,” added Rasilingwane.
Rasilingwane emphasised that the purpose of the campaign was to reach out to the community and the youth involved and also to the ones not involved, to join them as they try to come up with solutions that might help decrease the use of drugs.
“We received great support from parents who say their children are suffering from drug abuse and that they are losing their future. Parents are said to be suffering too as a result of losing valuable things which are disappearing because children want to feed this deadly habit by selling stuff,” said Rasilingwane.
She added that one of the youths they had spoken said that being unemployed was one of the major reasons the youth use drugs.
“According to him they get bored at ekasi, lose hope about a better future and resort to becoming addicted to drugs. We are calling for the City of Ekurhuleni to ring-fence grants to assist rehab centres in the metro and to establish special bursary funding for social workers to be placed at all existing clinics. The city needs to budget for a functional rehabilitation centre in each region of the metro and must upgrade existing youth centres to accommodate counselling for drug rehabilitation,” added Rasilingwane.
She added that these measures will go a long way in helping to ensure a safer drug-free community in which the youth of Ekurhuleni would thrive.
