Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community Safety in Ekurhuleni Phaladi Mmoko says the City will be stringent in ensuring that those who supply nyaope to the youth face the full might of the law.
Mmoko was speaking during the relaunch of the Gauteng City Region (GCR) Anti-Substance Abuse Social Movement campaign, themed “Keep it 100”, at Winnie Mandela Primary School in Tembisa on Friday.
He paid tribute to Jabu Baloyi, the Pretoria taxi driver who was killed by drug peddlers when he confronted them to stop selling nyaope to the youth.
The MMC then called upon communities, civil society organisations and law enforcement agencies to join hands in supporting government to combat the scourge of alcohol and drug abuse.
Speaking on behalf of Social Development, MEC Thuliswa Khawe and head of department Thembeni Mhlongo echoed the views of Mmoko by saying that by working together we will realise the dream of a drug-free Gauteng city region.
She said the campaign was launched by Gauteng Premier David Makhura in 2016 in Eldorado Park and would continue to intensify efforts to combat substance abuse in the province.
“The aim of the campaign is to ensure that our communities are 100 per cent free of substance abuse and to move closer to realising the objectives of the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act 70 of 2008; and to effect the implementation of the National Drug Master Plan,” said Mhlongo.
“The campaign also seeks to combat substance abuse in a coordinated manner and promote a collaborative approach among government departments and other key stakeholders that are involved in the fight against substance abuse,” she added.
The Gauteng provincial government will continue to reignite the support of multi-stakeholder groups behind the social movement campaign to ensure the reduction of substance abuse in the province.
The relaunch was also supported by, among others, the Department of Correctional Services, the taxi industry, the police and Gauteng municipalities.
