Trust in police vital in drugs war

PIETERMARITZBURG and other parts of the province are facing increasing levels of drug addiction, particularly among young people. According to the SA National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, “whoonga” is the drug of choice. Whoonga is a concoction of various things including rat poison, dagga and antiretrovirals and this deadly cocktail costs only R15 to R20.

Following the closure of eMatsheni Beer Hall in Retief Street earlier this month, the Pietermaritzburg CBD is littered with whoonga addicts with shop owners and patrons operating in fear as these youngsters will do anything to get their next fix. eMatsheni was a well known campsite for whoonga and other drug users in the city.

Last week, the nation was stunned when a Sunday Times report revealed a “bluetooth” drug craze where nyaope addicts share blood to get high.

The situation has clearly gone beyond crisis levels and we need to act with greater urgency and conviction when confronting it.

First, we must all understand that the government cannot face this fight alone. If the war against drug addictions is to be won, a whole society approach is needed and each of us has to play our part.

However, the government has a major role to play in allocating resources and providing the structural support communities need.

The government has to acknowledge the role played by NGOs as well as NPOs in providing services in places where government intervention isn’t present.

Over the past months, a number of these organisations around the province have had to close down as a result of poor financial support while a sizeable number struggle to register. Such organisations are often located in or close to communities and can be the first place an addict can turn to.

The government must provide financial support and make certain that these centres are capacitated to deal with walk-in addicts seeking help. Awareness Such centres are useless if the public does not know they exist or what their functions are. Therefore, a public awareness campaign is needed and this should be ongoing.

Families and communities should understand that an addiction is not a crime; it is an illness and help exists for those who want it.

According to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development’s 2015/16 annual report, there were only 1 321 drug users who accessed in-patient services at funded treatment centres. Out-patient services accounted for 1 477 of them.

There is a stigma attached to drug addiction and these low numbers place a mandate on us to educate each other about treatment initiatives and to support users who enter these programmes.

Communities also need to be supported by the law and the criminal justice system. Ward committees exist to enable communities to engage with their local government on issues concerning them and I believe drug abuse is one such issue for people across the province.

Such structures can be a valuable platform for communities to identify children showing signs of addiction, to bring this to the attention of their municipality and to provide assistance.

These committees should be empowered to work together with the Department of Community Safety in its Schools Safety Committee Programme. This programme links schools with police stations and ward committees should take advantage of this to identify children who are using and selling drugs.

The purpose of this approach is not to punish these children, but to rehabilitate them. It is up to all of us to get drugs off our streets. As communities, we live with and know the people who produce and sell drugs like whoonga. We must save our children by encouraging and developing a culture of whistle-blowing.

Our police need to listen to whistle-blowers and not disclose their identity. If this level of trust and confidence in our police is not established then we cannot realistically hope to rid our province of drugs.

Zondo is a Mandela Washington Fellow; President Barack Obama’s initiative for young African leaders. He is director of legislative research for the NFP in the KwaZuluNatal Provincial Legislature and writes in his personal capacity.