Various organisers say #DrugsMustFall in Sunnyside
Passersby received pamphlets about the harmful effects drugs have not only on the user but on the community at large.
Local stakeholders recently gathered at Sunnyside Shopping Centre’s main entrance for a drug awareness campaign.
The organisers wanted to bring attention to the devasting impact drug use is having on local central students.
Under the hashtag #DrugsMustFall and #DrugLordsMustFall, organisers involved interacted with locals regarding substance abuse.
Passersby received pamphlets relating to the harmful effects drugs have not only on the user, but on the community at large.
Popular local actor Mandla Kaduka (most known for playing Choppa on Generations) was the MC for the day as the community were treated to musical acts and guest speaker presentations.
COUNCILLOR ON SUNNYSIDE DRUGS
“Sunnyside has a serious problem when it comes to drugs,” says ward 81 councillor Mpho Lewele.
“When people become hooked on drugs, that’s when we experience the high rates of crime that we currently do,” Lewele.
Other stakeholders involved in the effort include the SAPS Youth Crime Prevention Desk, Sunnyside CPF, the Department of Social Development, the Department of Community Safety, the Department of Health, the SAPS Social Crime Prevention team, Crime Prevention Wardens, and the Enhle Enelo Foundation among others.
Cllr Lewele says that his ward especially has a big nyaope problem, and more needs to be done to tackle the issue.
“Nyaope is a big one. You can find most of the people living on the streets are addicted to it; even those that are car guards along the roads are mostly hooked on it,” Lewele continues.
The ward 81 councillor says that conventional rehabs are not the solution to dealing with addicts, and more effective intervention methods need to be looked into.
“We need to enforce by-laws across the streets and show our presence. Those that are fighting addiction need to be taken to farm rehabs, not just regular ones. When we take them to regular rehabs, as soon as they come out, they relapse and are right back where they started,” Lewele says.
“These people must be reintegrated into the economic systems, trained and given the necessary skills to survive. So when we drop them, we can’t drop them at the same place; they need to be able to stand on their own,” Lewele continued.
Lewle says that the ongoing drug issue is destroying the country’s future as many potential careers in different sectors lose on possible game-changers due to substance abuse.
“Don’t keep quiet. Stand up and speak out against these drug dealers and tell us what’s going on. The only way to effectively deal with this is to get rid of these drug lords,” Lewele concluded.
COMPLAINTS OVER CRIME
Chairperson of Sunnyside CPF, Sandile Dube, says they receive many complaints from weekend goers about the rampant crime that plagues the city. Dube believes that drug use has a part to play in these instances.
“We get many complaints from people who come and enjoy Sunnyside on the weekends about being robbed of their personal belongings when they are leaving during late hours,” Dube says.
“Here on this corner of Robert Sebokwe and Steve Biko, we’ve been receiving reports of victims being attacked by groups that spray your pepper spray in the eyes, and while you’re covering your eyes, they take your possessions out of your pockets/bag,” Dube continued.
Dube says that drug dealers’ days are numbered and blames the pushers for the grip substance abuse has on Sunnyside.
“We want to send a message that Sunnyside is not for drugs. It’s a community of education, businesses, and careers, and we won’t let drug lords destroy that.”
Dube also says the increase in student residences has led to more problems for them, as with the larger numbers come larger crime opportunities.
“Our main crimes we respond to a lot in terms of drug use are crimes that are vehicle-related. We get of hijackings and theft out of motor vehicles cases that are reported,”
Drugs are also said to cause an increase in domestic violence incidents as well as being frequently used among sex workers.
He said that they have been noticing a lot more residents carrying weapons on their person during operations with the police. Whether it be knives, pepper spray, tasers, or anything else, the cause for concern is great as differentiating between self-defenders and perpetrators becomes challenging.
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