Residents take a stand against drugs’ influence on their neighbourhood

POLOKWANE – Residents of Westenburg who were hoping to fight the drug abuse trend in their community met with several stakeholders in the Westenburg community hall on Sunday.

Stakeholders included the department of social development, Childline Limpopo, Sanca and the Westenburg police.

Representatives from the education as well as the safety, security and liaison departments were expected to address the gathering, but no one from these departments were present.

With the education department being considered a key stakeholder in preventing and stopping drug abuse in schools, their absence was of concern to most residents present at the meeting.

Several parents, including Gwen Titus and Sarel Martin, said it was unacceptable that there was no one representing the department of education and that it proved the department’s lack of interest in welfare of the children of Westenburg.

Dimakatso Bambo, a social worker from the department of social development, said the education department was key in the education of learners on the dangers of drugs, as drug dealers targeted them in order to maintain their market and deliveries in future.

“These people (drug dealers) target small children and get them addicted to ensure that, when they are grown, they will become the customers and the runners (people who deliver illegal drugs).

“This is where the department of education plays one of the main rolls and it is sad to see that they are not present today,” she said.

Both Zenobia Brown, from Childline Limpopo, and Angela Salter, from Sanca, explained their organisations’ roles in the community and how they could help.

Addictions discussed by them included gambling, alcohol, legal and illegal drugs, internet porno-graphy, sex addiction, compulsive eating and shopping.

Parents were warned that learners as young as 12 were even sniffing and injecting household products such as insecticide and mayonaise to achieve a “high”.

Salter said it was understandable that many residents were truly negative about these community meetings with government stakeholders as they maintained that no positive actions came out of these meetings.

She referred to the pamphlets handed out to residents at the start of the meeting.

The pamphlets were written in three different languages, none of them spoken by residents.

She said a classroom at one of the schools needed to be set aside to be used for the education of children on drug abuse.

“We need to see action in this matter.

“We need to see the police involved and we need to see the community stand up and say: ‘no more children will fall victim on our watch’,” she said.

Westenburg police station commander, Col Mashilo Tlhako, called on community members to take hands with the police and fight crime with them.

The day was ended with a question and answer session where residents used the opportunity to comment on the presentations and to raise their own issues.

Ward councillor, Dorcas Madikoto, promised to relay their concerns to the municipality.

“We are glad to see that, as some issues were raised, the best solutions were also found by the community, but we would like people to know that we (the municipality) are here to serve them,” she said.

Education spokesperson, Phuti Seloba, said he had been unable to attend the meeting due to a prior commitment.

He was unable to give a reason for his colleagues’ absence.

Safety, security and liaison spokesperson, Molebatsi Masedi said he would be able to comment on the matter at a later time, as he was busy preparing for another meeting.