The picturesque little town of Hazyview has fallen under the spell of the increased usage of SA’s worst drug, nyaope. It’s capable of turning a mild-mannered youth to a gun-wielding zombie in a matter of minutes.
“I saw a youngster smoke it once and initially he was very calm. However, 25 minutes later he attacked his grandmother and stole her purse,” said a recovering addict from Hazyview, who now provides counselling to those who are trying to kick the habit. He reckons that most violent crimes in town are directly related to the usage of drugs like nyaope.
“An average user, who is mostly unemployed, will smoke around five joints per day, worth around R65 each, and crime is the only way they can support their addiction,” he said. “The addiction is steadily rising in town. Recent research by Sanca shows that about 19 per cent of youth who reside in rural areas surrounding the Kruger National Park are on nyaope. This must have progressed to 30 per cent in about two years, which is very alarming,” the source said. The effects are generally calming and spaced out, followed by extensive aggression and manic behaviour resulting in violence by the user. “Like most drugs it causes the user to break away from society. This leads the addict to developing gangster-like behaviour, as it creates a feeling of euphoria followed by invincibility,” the source said.
Nyaope is a cut mixture of 60 per cent heroin and 40 per cent marijuana, and may sometimes contain antiretroviral medication and even rat poison. Users roll the substance in a cigarette, or “joint” as it’s commonly referred to, to smoke. In Hazyview the age group using this drug is generally 12 to 25. Because it contains dopamine, instant addiction is inevitable.
The above-mentioned counsellor says all hope is not lost. Narcotics Anonymous (NA), a non-profit fellowship for men and women whose addictions have become a major problem, was recently launched in Hazyview and enables one to begin a journey towards a happier and healthier life by being aware of the fact that this disease is always lurking and is always within us.

The NA meetings involve groups getting together, with one condition being the desire to recover. “The concept of group therapy where one addict can help another by being open, honest, and willing is the best way forward,” he said.
The actual programme is based on the 12 steps of recovery used by top rehabilitation centres in South Africa and worldwide. Some of these include making a decision to turn your will and life over to God, humbly asking Him to remove your shortcomings, making a list of people you have harmed and becoming more willing to make amends, making direct amends to such people wherever possible except when doing so would injure them or others, and lastly, having a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps.
“People with any form of addiction are most welcome to join us. These addictions include sex, gambling, anger, and food.”
Anonymity is the key factor, so as to prevent the workplace and society labelling people who seek to recover. They focus on the disease of addiction, rather than any particular drug.
“It is crucial for the addict to accept that he or she has a chronic disease, as this is the cornerstone for someone to progress. Addiction is as chronic as cancer, heart disease, or any other life-threatening ailment. More importantly, it stays with us for life. It can be arrested by working the 12-step programme,” he said.
Many addicts, who believe they are no longer ill after years or months in the programme, generally go straight back to their old habits.
“It must be noted that in NA we refer to alcohol as a drug, and it is generally referred to as the most severe mind-altering substance when one is an addict,” he said.
All you have to do to join is call 072-805-1528. For people who cannot make the meetings, one-on-one private consultations are also an option.

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