Pastor Patrick Simelane, who is in charge of the centre, City of Refuge, confirmed that they moved earlier this year from Somaphepha to Botshabelo.

He came to the Middelburg Observer’s offices with three young addicts (one woman and three men) and one of the parents of an addict.

Pastor Simelane and the young people, who said they were all clean for more than four months, told the journalist that they had to move because of all the “negative publicity” about the centre since December last year.

A few addicts, who were at a rehab centre last year and ran away, told a journalist that they left because they were chained up, hit with sjamboks, used buckets for toilets and did not have enough to eat.

Some of them also said they had to sleep on mattresses on the floor and that some of the centre’s windows were broken.

They never said that it was the centre of Pastor Simelane, but he stated that there was no other rehabilitation centre in the area on the Stoffberg road, and that they could only have spoken about his centre.

Pastor Simelane was highly upset about the stories that were spread about the centre, “It was also one of the reasons that the person who is looking after the farm asked us to leave. It caused us a lot of problems. People who were helping us with food and funds stopped helping after the articles. We also received threats.”

He also mentioned that several parents came to fetch their children after they read the articles. They had about 35 addicts, and after the stories, there were only a handful left. This week, he said that in the past month, they have already grown to 38, six women and 32 men.

Pastor Simelane mentioned that it is a registered rehabilitation centre under his ministry, and the centre is in its third year.

He feels that the people who ran away from the rehab were influenced by other people, “These same people who influenced them are the same people who are killing them! I’m busy dealing with government officials dealing drugs. I am trying to help a community that is dying. Now, I am the victim. People are sabotaging us.”

He said that drugs are sold openly in the streets, like at the Iraq Taxi Rank in Cowen Ntuli Street and Mhluzi, “Young people are using injections, spiking in the streets, but nothing is done about that!”

The young people who came with him to the newspaper and Pastor Simelane answered all the questions that the journalist asked about the Somaphepha centre.

• They denied that the addicts had to use buckets and said that there were toilets at the centre.

• It is true that everybody was sleeping on mattresses, “If the addicts come there, the withdrawal of the drugs is quite severe, and they will fall if the beds are off the floor because of all the tossing and turning.”

• They admitted that some of the windows were broken because some of the addicts became aggressive while withdrawing from drugs and broke the windows.

• They denied that anybody was hit with sjamboks. It was said that the young people were put together in groups in rooms. When someone was caught stealing in another room, that specific room’s inhabitants were allowed to hit the thief with tekkies.

• It is also true that some of the addicts were chained when they went there, “We only put chains on their feet while they are detoxing, but it is done with the consent of their parents. They even buy the locks for the chains.”

• It is true that when admitted, a R1 000 fee is paid to help with the funds. According to Pastor Simelane, most of the families could not pay, and he still helped them.

• On the question of food, the young people said they always had enough to eat, “We had koeksisters and cake, bread and a lot of meat.”

• There was an allegation that the young addicts had to “dry out on their own”. According to all of them, that is a lie, because they are helped with medication.

Pastor Simelane visits them every day, other pastors visit them, and they have group meetings on Mondays and Thursdays from 19:00–20:00. They also attend church on Sundays.

• They said that it was true there was no electricity. At one stage, there were solar lights, but they were stolen.

• Pastor Simelane said that they are planning on getting solar lights again at their Botshabelo centre. At this stage, they are using candles and paraffin lamps.

During the interview, they said they are still busy fixing the area where the centre is next to the Botshabelo Church. It is an old Missionary House with rooms in and around the house, “We do not want people to get the wrong impression.”

They said that they believed that despite all the negative things that happened, they could grow into a big rehab centre again, “We are not alone, we have God!”

• Pastor Simelane said that they are planning to take older people from the streets and put them into another house at Botshabelo.

• Following that, they want to open an orphanage and a boarding school.

• People who want more information about the centre and all their other plans can send a WhatsApp to Pastor Simelane on 082 908 6832.