Jemima Gray (56)* (not her real name), has been thrust into the world foreign to her and her upbringing.

Her life now consists of outbursts by her 22-year-old daughter who is in the grip of substance abuse.

Gray talked wistfully about a time when her daughter was a top student at school. The gleaming trophies lined up on the display cabinet are a testament to her achievements.

She has had stints at a number of rehabilitation centres in the country.

At one stage travelling as far as Cullinan outside Pretoria to undergo treatment.

Jemima’s concern now is that her daughter has a six month old baby who bears the brunt of her mother’s destructive behaviour.

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“She leaves the baby and returns home at the most ungodly hours after smoking all day. I just want her to get her life on track so she can be a more responsible mother and a good role model,” said Gray.

Esmeralda* (not her real name) has been addicted to an assortment of substances. Her drug of choice is the much-feared ‘tik’ or ‘lolly’, known for its highly addictive power.

Eldorado Park residents know all too well the power of addiction and Jemima’s story is not an isolated one. Young women, in a bid to feed their habit, exchange sexual favours to maintain their drug habit.

Many men take advantage of this desperation and lolly lounges are filled with young girls who are used sexually, sometime performing the most depraved acts to satisfy the drug monster.

Jemima’s life now revolves around staging searches for a daughter who disappears for days on end and returns only to verbally abuse her mother.

Related story: Children removed to safety

This world has introduced Gray to an underground culture with its colloquialisms and police dropping off her daughter at all hours after raiding known smoking spots.

Backyard dwellings or zozos are where smokers gather to smoke and hide from prying eyes.

Gray has frequently gone in search of her daughter and said, “They gather in the most dirty, filthy places.

“It’s dark and filled with smoke and I am left wondering if this is what I have raised my daughter to be.

“She has been in and out of rehab, but I fear that the monster inside her may be too strong for us to overcome.”

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