Fear of the power of drug dealers

Residents in the townships of KwaDukuza are scared to tackle the drug dealers in their community and most of them do not trust the police to clamp down on the problem.

Speaking with residents in the townships, it becomes clear that the drug dealers in the area are known to the community but no one ever sees any arrests made.

Nkobongo resident New Mlondo said that recently she found her son in a drug dealer’s house in Nkobongo with a group of people who were apparently drug addicts.

She claimed that the drug dealer has built a shack for the addicts and they are even provided blankets to keep them warm.

“Police have been seen in these houses of the drug dealers but nothing has been done about them,” said Mlondo.

Residents said it was difficult to report drug dealers, since they are usually considered dangerous people when others interfere with their business. But they do not trust the police to help them.

“You can not trust the police with your life. These people have connections all over and you might never know who is on their side,” said a Shaka’s Head resident who asked to remain anonymous.

According to KwaDukuza police, dealers have runners who sell the drugs in the street and they are the ones being arrested. Getting to the source of the drug supply chain in the townships is a challenge for police.

“Residents inform us about drug dealers in their townships, but they do not provide us with proof and when we go there we will not find drugs in that person’s house,” said KwaDukuza acting station commander colonel Mdumseni Nene.

Nene said they have been told that drugs are being transported from Durban to KwaDukuza by train and cars, but with no information on the times and dates when this transporting of drugs takes place, they are grasping at straws.

Umhlali SAPS communications officer captain Percy Buthelezi said he could not deny the possibility that there may be police officers who are being paid by drug dealers to look the other way and ignore what is happening in the townships.

“I advise residents that if they have information that is critical for an investigation and feel they are putting themselves in danger by providing that information to the police, they should contact the station commander directly. Then there is no way those details will end up in the wrong hands,” said Buthelezi.