BABY KISSING SEASON
Locals tell president action needed
President Jacob Zuma and DA leader Mmusi Maimane in electioneering mode for the upcoming local government polls.
ELDORADO Park residents have warned President Jacob Zuma that the township’s future will be doomed if the government does not help combat drug abuse.
The residents called on the ANC government to come up with more specialised means to stop drug dealers in their tracks as they were terrorising the township and turning youth into hopeless addicts.
Zuma again visited the township as part of a drive for the upcoming local government elections.
The DA is dominant in the area and the official opposition has adopted the drug issue as its main campaign for the township.
Resident Jade Meyer said if extra efforts were not put in place, drug dealers would continue running amok in the area.
“Yes, there are efforts to stop the scourge but drug dealers continue to be a step ahead. If we can have a focused effort in ensuring that they are monitored and have programmes that keep the youth busy, things would be better,” Meyer said.
Another resident told Zuma the community needed more police, including a satellite police station, as some people struggled to report criminality in the area.
Zuma’s campaign in the township started with a visit to the family of struggle stalwart JB Marks, whose home he helped to extend.
Family spokesman Daniel Louw praised Zuma for assisting the family in refurbishing the house.
Louw, a teacher, called on the president to help the community renovate Elridge Primary School, which was damaged when its roof caved in, leaving pupils with no place to study.
“Schooling is how we keep our children out of trouble and this school plays an important role,” Louw said. Zuma launched a charm offensive in the area, going door to door, listening to residents’ concerns. DA supporters shouted at the presidential convoy, chanting “Viva DA” as other residents lined the streets to see the president.
The residents praised Zuma for assisting the community after he was called to intervene in the area’s drug crisis in 2013.
One resident said despite its challenges, the township was making strides getting young people out of substance abuse.
“Eldorado Park takes the lead in the fight against substance abuse. All the interventions implemented in the area have been a blueprint for a national strategy against substance abuse,” she said.
Meanwhile, DA leader Mmusi Maimane campaigned in Bekkersdal on the West Rand yesterday.