On a mission to make a difference in the community, Miss Mpumalanga 2023, Bokamoso Machika, held a group session on drug abuse at Lekazi Central High School on Thursday February 22, as part of the Tswelopele Programme.

Conversations were held with topics that affect the youth, specifically focusing on drug abuse.

This 22-year-old said her motivation to start this programme was because of how she had watched her brother battling with drug abuse.

“I am from KwaMhlanga, which is the second biggest hotspot of drug addiction. I am the second-born; my parents have five children. In 2014, my father started to be violent at home, and as children, we experience trauma differently. There are those who take traumatic experiences and decide to make the most out of them. Then there are those who get depressed and anxious, and unfortunately, this was my brother. He started smoking the same year it started happening. He started with something regarded as small – a cigarette. Then things escalated. He also befriended the wrong people. Regardless of the company he kept, the problem was the issues at home.”

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Machika said at some point her brother stole their father’s gun and that resulted in him getting arrested. According to her, her father claimed the gun was in a safe. She said it was not. It was on his bed.“After he came back from prison, he changed and started stealing from community members. It got to a point where someone took the matter into his hands and assaulted him with various things. The challenge was that when he got to the hospital, they had to deal with the addiction first, and he suffered from a kidney failure,” she explained.

Machika urged the young people to seek assistance from the South African National Council in Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) and to speak to their teachers when they are struggling with drug abuse.

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While addressing the learners, Sanca’s Sibusiso Mthembu said as young people, they need to think of what impact drugs can have in their lives.

“Life is about decision-making. Due to drugs, you can swap your uniform of excellence for a uniform of shame. The uniform of excellence is your school uniform, and the uniform of shame is the correctional services one worn by those arrested.”

Mthembu said when one starts their journey staying away from drugs, they are sometimes exposed to temptations. “Be honest when you find yourself in this situation. Tell them that you have stopped, even though you are tempted,” he said.