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There are more than 50 000 devastated parents who have contacted Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office in the past week seeking help for their children who are addicted to the drug nyaope.
Nyaope is a street drug which is a mixture of low grade heroin, cannabis products, antiretroviral drugs and other materials added as cutting agents.
Lesufi was flooded with calls when he promised to fix the drug problem in the province after he was approached by a number of concerned parents. Last week he said that nyaope addicts were going to be taken to a farm owned by the state for six months. There they would undergo a rehabilitation program.
Speaking to City Press on Monday, Lesufi said they had only planned to cater for between 3000 and 5000 nyaope addicts but the number had climbed to 50 000.
He said:
Lesufi said he suspected that there were parents from other provinces as well. He said the first intake will happen on November 1.
Some non-profit organisations (NPOs) and recovering nyaope addicts welcomed the initiative and said that they were available to assist the premier’s office.
Bongani* said he was 18 when he started smoking nyaope.
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“It was not a good feeling my sister. That thing takes over your body. I was in matric when I started mixing with the wrong crowd. In no time I was hooked because once you start smoking it (nyaope) it gets difficult to get it out of your system.
"I started selling stuff at home to get money. There was a time when my parents chased me away and I ended up staying at Brown Street in Pretoria,” he said.
He added that was when he was arrested for stealing a bag.
He said:
He said unfortunately he relapsed and went back to smoking nyaope but it was not for long before he got a harsh talk from Simelane.
“I went back to the rehab and ever since then I have been clean. I was 23 years when I quit smoking nyaope for good. I am excited about Lesufi’s initiative and I hope it will help a number of young people out there. I also believe that we need a lot of drug awareness programs in the township.
"Our townships are rotten my sister. I was very lucky to come out alive,” said Bongani who now works for the South African National Defence Force.
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Simelane said he was running his NPO at 15 wards in Tshwane.
He said:
Simelane said he started the NPO about six years ago when he lost one of his twin boys.
“My wife and I decided that we should establish an entity to assist young men and women in changing their lives for the better. We have assisted a number of young people not only addicted to smoking nyaope, but also crystal meth which is consumed by the hip hop and amapiano generation.
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"For example, in the past three months we have assisted about 300 addicts between the ages of 12 and 38,” he said.
He said they assist recovering addicts with aftercare programs where they are given artisnal training, like plumbing and brick laying.
“We are embracing Lesufi’s initiatives because we know these people and we are aware of how drugs are killing the youth in our communities,” he said.
*Not his real name
