If you want to understand how drugs are destroying not only the lives of young people but society as a whole, including the destruction of infrastructure, just drive around any township in the country.
Young addicts scavenging for scrap metal is a common sight, and when you drive into local shopping malls you will find them helping shoppers park their cars and acting as car guards. They steal from their own families and neighbours, which often leads to mob justice. Young girls resort to prostitution.
The South African Anxiety and Depression Group (Sadag) says its recent research shows that the average age of drug and alcohol intake in South Africa is 12, which on its own is shocking. A recent National Youth Risk Behavior survey indicates drug use among children is growing. The survey revealed that almost 50% of children in grade 8-11 had taken alcohol and 13% experimented with dagga.
Drug addiction is attributed to frustrations that come with unemployment. The latest figures from Stats SA tell us that among the 15-34 age group’s unemployment is at 4.9-million, a 1.1% increase from the last quarter of 2022. In rural areas drug use is associated with parentless households. The South African Human Rights Commission’s research tells us that 3.7-million children live without parental care. Stats SA tells us the reasons behind child-headed families are predicated mainly on three aspects, death of a parent or parents, migration to seek greener pastures and imprisonment of a main parent.
Until we implement drastic measures, drugs and alcohol addiction will remain a lifestyle of choice for our children.
It begs the question whether politicians, the business sector and communities are alive to this scourge, or is there a collective shrugging of the shoulders and burying of heads in the sand hoping for a miracle?
How about looking to solve the problem of recreational facilities that are in decay? Townships across the country during apartheid used to have facilities that served as a second home for young people. They had fully functioning public swimming pools, boxing academies that actually produced world champions and contenders, cricket academies and arts centres. Schools used to compete in soccer, netball, athletics and choir competitions.
Today schoolchildren in any of our townships or in rural areas hardly know anything about celebrating sporting achievements. There was a time when parents would jostle to get their children enrolled in certain schools because such a school had the propensity to produce sport stars.
Community halls were not just the domain of political events, funeral services and wedding ceremonies. Community halls were used for arts, beauty pageants and debate competitions, to list a few.
As a society, we need to ask this question, when a young person leaves their house, what are they exposed to? The answers could vary. It could be hanging around street corners smoking and drinking alcohol or engaging in sexual activities. Some parents simply hope their daughters don’t fall pregnant. The lucky ones are those who live next to libraries, who have means of recording facilities if they aspire to be artists, or are churchgoers who volunteer their time in church activities.
We seriously need to look into the cost of proper drug rehabilitation facilities in the country. They generally have four categories: upmarket treatment which costs on average R40,000, medium-term extended about R26,000, secondary care about R16,000 and tertiary care R5,000 per month. The rest are mostly fly by nights, with few that are adequately funded. Most families cannot afford the least expensive of these institutions, leading to a vicious cycle.
What is perplexing is that businesspeople and leaders in various spheres, including politicians, are not using their influence to drive policy and implementation to change this prevailing drug abuse disaster facing our youth and society. What is worse, these are individuals who grew up in the same townships and rural areas.
Until we implement drastic measures, drugs and alcohol addiction will remain a lifestyle of choice for our children. The electorate perhaps should also ask: what is the purpose of voting for people who fail to recognise this problem?
We must stand up and fight for our children. Business must invest in youth development amenities to avoid being continuous victims of community anger, school governing bodies should insist on reinstating school sports and competitions. Churches and their leaders must refrain from establishing youth structures that only benefit the church and encourage them to reach out to other young people in the communities. Professionals must interact with and mentor young people on career guidance based on their own professions.
Arresting street sellers while ignoring drug kingpins does not help. We have to gather evidence and expose politicians and police officials who are alleged to be in the drug business. The solution to the country’s nyaope scourge requires an all shoulders to the wheel approach involving parents, politicians, police, rehabilitation centres. After all, it does take a village to raise a child.
Thabiso Kotane is the host of Power Drive on Power FM
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