Eldorado Park visit vital: ILIVE

President Jacob Zuma, accompanied by three cabinet ministers and Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, visited the community of Eldorado Park this week.

Recently I have been reading about the atrocities in this community, and the bizarre occurrences that people living here experience on a daily basis.

I also read the letter from Dereleen James, filled with raw emotion and begging for the president's intervention as she battles with a drug-addicted son who only weighs 37kg although he is in his late teens.

As I write, I have a lump in my throat, thinking of my own children and what may lie ahead if they are exposed to drugs.

As a person living outside this community, I find it shocking and bizarre that an eight-year-old would come home high on dagga and cat .

I believe a three-year-old watching his mother being murdered and his frail grandmother brutally assaulted is an atrocity. For the community of Eldorado Park, these incidents are not uncommon.

This is the hell they face daily. I have heard many criticise the president's visit, labelling it as electioneering or a public relations exercise to deflect attention from Guptagate.

I don't think these criticisms are pertinent . The bottom line is that drugs, crime, prostitution and corruption are destroying the lives of many children.

The presence of high-profile politicians and the powerful media in Eldorado Park will place the issue on our television screens and in our newspapers.

The spin-offs will benefit the fight against drug abuse across the country.

The community must grab this opportunity and work with the government and NGOs to ensure that change comes not only to Eldorado Park, but to all communities facing the same challenges.