Nathi Sedibe says that it is time for community members, parents, school leadership, municipality, and churches to stop turning a blind eye and stand up together against this societal illness. ‘‘Young and old are now using dagga and crystal meth on a daily basis and it has moved into the school premises. I know a lot of schools don’t want to admit that they have a drug problem, but they do. The sad part is that the community knows the drug lords and the distributors, who are enriching themselves by selling addictive substances to these poor souls,’’ he said.

Sedibe told the Herald that he has noticed that people are turning to crime in order to sustain their substance abuse habit. He says he has observed that most of the people who are addicted to narcotics are resorting to theft in order to buy more drugs. “I have noticed that some of these people, including homeless people who use narcotics, search through rubbish bins for recycle materials which they can exchange for money.

‘‘These days they have moved to the residential areas searching for more recyclable material, which in my opinion poses a threat to people’s properties. I have experienced my braai stand and other metal and steel equipment being stolen, just because someone wants to re-sell it for their next fix,’’ he said. A Nkowankowa anti-drug ambassador, Vukosi Shivonivoni, shares Sedibe sentiments, he says he has buried some of his peers due to addiction.

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“Many of our young people, both male, and female are slaves to drugs. The sad part about it is that most of them had a bright future ahead of them. This is no longer about lack of employment, there is so much that these youngsters can do with their lives, but for some reason, they have resorted to substance abuse. Unfortunately, once you are hooked, there is no way out and the only way out is through rehab, which is expensive,” he said.

He further said that it is heartbreaking to see young and beautiful girls prostituting themselves for drugs, an observation he made during community patrol activities that he does with some of his friends. He says he is disappointed that community members are turning a blind eye to this societal issue. Shivonivoni says he recently organised an anti-drug march in Nkowankowa but only a handful of residents
participated in the awareness campaign.

Tzaneen Police Station Sgt Nkhwashu told the Herald that indeed drugs influence a lot of criminal activities especially burglary, rape, and gender-based violence. He said that it is unfortunate that as much as people complain about drugs and drug lords, they do not report it to the police.

‘‘We see a lot of people posting about it on social media, but not reporting it to us. Residents of Tzaneen must not be afraid to report these crimes. As the police, we will try our best to protect them,’’ he concluded.

To report any drug activities to the police contact the Tzaneen Police Station on 079 890 2424 which is available 24 hours a day