Report of the Portfolio
Committee on Social Development on provincial oversight visits to the
The Portfolio Committee on Social Development, having undertaken
provincial oversight visits to the
After thorough research was conducted on substance
abuse, the Portfolio Committee on Social Development observed that in
The purpose of the visits was to oversee projects
funded by the National Department of Social Development and provincial
departments, particularly on Drug Rehabilitation Centres.
3. DELEGATION
The multi-party delegation led by the Chairperson, Ms
T J Tshivhase, ANC comprised the following:
a)
Advocate T M Masutha, ANC
b)
Ms H I Bogopane-Zulu, ANC
c)
Ms I
d)
Ms X C Makasi, ANC
e)
Ms C I Ludwabe, ANC
f)
Mr B M Solo, ANC
g)
Ms C Dudley, ACDP
VISIT TO THE
Briefing by Ms Lubelwana,
Acting Head of Department: Western Cape Provincial Department of Social
Development
Ms Lubelwana highlighted the
following:
a)
Substance abuse is
a problem in the province.
b)
It is a huge
challenge that is facing the government as the abuse of substances is
destroying young children.
c)
It is a challenge
that could not be faced by the Department of Social Services alone.
d)
Substance abuse is
affecting the whole of Africa, therefore, the department wants to position
itself as ‘’
e)
More money should
be spent on fighting the problem by absorbing social auxiliary workers.
f)
With enough
resources and civil communities it is possible for the department to rebrand itself as the fighter of substance abuse.
g)
Intergovernmental
networks should work with departments.
h)
The Department is
busy with a programme of absorbing young people to be trained by the
Department.
i)
There is a “Ke moja” programme which is a Sesotho name that loosely translates “I’m fine” without
drugs.
j)
The programme was
designed by the United Nations to provide drug awareness to the larger society
but more emphasis to be placed on schools.
k)
The first two years
of the programme were dedicated on training the trainers.
l)
The
m)
The programme would be popularised through the
media.
n)
The issue of family
is central to the treatment centres. Therefore, families should be involved in
training so that they could be linked to resources during early detection.
o)
Municipalities and
local government are close to the community. Therefore, they should be more
helpful in curbing the scourge of substance abuse.
The
a)
As drugs are
transported into the country, the Department of Transport and Aviation are
involved in a drug master plan.
b)
There is a plan
that is in the pipeline to include the Department of Transport and Aviation in
the drug forums.
c)
There is some truth in the allegations that
drugs are used in food. Therefore, the Forum is working on a plan to include
the Department of Agriculture in some drug forums to provide more information
on the issue.
d)
The youth need to
be more exposed to the information that will better their lives. The Forum recommended that the Members of
Parliament who attend the drug forums should be able to take decisions.
The patients in the centre were divided according to
their religious beliefs.
The following
reasons were given by the youth when they were asked by the delegation why they
resorted to using drugs:
a)
Family problems.
b)
Misinformation – that drugs make one happy and relaxed.
c)
Circumstances – for
young girls who became pregnant at a young age, it’s usually about getting
money to feed the child. Drug lords use
the girls for drug trafficking and the girls end up taking drugs themselves in
order to survive.
d)
Peer pressure.
When the delegations asked the youth how the
government should intervene in order to help fight substance abuse, they
responded as follows:
a)
All the ingredients
that are used to make drugs should be taken off the market.
b)
The message that
says drugs are dangerous does not reach the youth in the way that it’s supposed
to and therefore awareness campaigns and road shows should be done extensively.
c)
There should be
more rehabilitation centres in the
d)
It has taken the
government long to realise the seriousness of the problem.
e)
There is a loophole
in the justice system and it should be improved, as the real drug lords are not
captured. Thus the justice system should be improved.
f)
The centre is too
small. Government should provide funds to expand it. Drug rehabilitation centres should be
advertised extensively.
g)
The general feeling
among the youth was that nobody really forced them to take drugs. They also mentioned that it is easy to get
drugs through police as some police are involved in the drug trade.
The Management of
the centre highlighted the following issues:
a)
If the centre could
be expanded, 40-50 more people could be helped.
b)
Volunteers provide
the best service to the centre.
c)
There is a lack of
funds because the institution is relatively new.
d)
The involvement of
the Department of Social Development in the centre is working well.
e)
The centre has a good relationship with
schools because it also involves itself in HIV and disability awareness
programmes.
f)
Children as young as
seven years are using tik (Methamphetamine).
Kenilworth Clinic is a private Clinic providing
specialized programmes on both an In-patient and Out-patient basis. Dr Rodger Meyer gave a brief presentation of
what usually make people resort to abusing substances, as follows:
a)
There are many reasons for people to use drugs. People abuse drugs because they are poor,
rich or depressed.
b)
There are those who
use drugs for recreational purposes.
c)
70% of substance
users are social losers who have informed choices, i.e. they are aware of the
dangers of drug abuse but they use them anyway.
d)
20% of substance
abusers are people who are depended on drugs for day-to-day survival. This group might show some symptoms of
abuse.
e)
10% of substance
abusers are those who have lost control and become ill and really need
treatment. This group of people is the main focus of the clinic.
f)
Addiction is a
disease that is treatable but not curable.
Mr Sibusiso Nhlangothi, the facility manager welcomed everybody and
gave a brief presentation of the facility.
He mentioned the following:
a)
The Centre consists
of two sections, namely, the adult and the youth sections. The Centre is an
in-patient treatment facility.
b)
The programme runs
for three weeks for the youth and seven weeks for adults.
c)
The delegation
queried the length of the youth programme, saying that the period is short. Mr Nhlangothi mentioned that they had already written a letter
to the Department asking for the expansion or extension of the programme.
The nursing division also gave a brief background on
the process of admission of patients. The following were highlighted:
a)
The marketing
strategy of the facility is based on a referral system.
b)
Physical examination of new patients is done
within 8 – 24 hours of admission and then the psychiatrists do the review.
c)
The facility does
not run a detoxification programme because there is no doctor in the
institution. Clients are referred to local community health centres or
secondary hospitals.
d)
It is difficult for
the institution to do a follow up after treatment because of lack of resources.
e)
Staff shortages
hamper the progress of the institution but the process of filling the vacant
posts is underway.
f)
There was a concern
from the delegation that most staff members were of Coloured origin. They wanted to know if that did not have an
impact on the facility in dealing with people from different cultural
backgrounds.
g)
The facility manager explained that the staff
complement includes a mix of all South African cultures but it has more
coloured employees due to the fact that most people who live around the
facility are coloured by origin.
h)
The management also
emphasized that they care, treat and develop all vulnerable groups and people
with special needs.
Major Peter Lovick presented the following information to the
delegation:
a)
This is a faith
based treatment centre.
b)
The facility is a
non-profit organisation that is funded by the government.
c)
It offers a twelve week intensive, holistic
in-patient treatment programme for men suffering from alcohol or drug
addiction. The focus of the centre is
exclusively on addiction.
d)
Treatment is
individualized and implemented by a multi-disciplinary team.
e)
The philosophy of
the centre is that addiction is a disease and consists of physical and
psychological dependence. It affects a patient physically, emotionally,
socially and spiritually. Therefore the focus of the centre is for the addicts
to recover on the spiritual, emotional and physical level.
The admission criteria to the Adult
programme is as follows:
a)
It is a twelve week
programme for males over the age of 21.
b)
Admission is on a
voluntary basis or by court order.
c)
After admission,
the patient has to follow a detoxification programme. No primary psychiatric
diagnosis is performed.
d)
The centre
emphasizes that the programme works for people who are willing to change.
The admission criteria to the Youth
Programme is as follows:
a)
It is an eight week
programme for males from 16 – 21 years old.
b)
Admission is based
on referral by a social worker.
c)
After admission the
patient has to follow a detoxification programme. No primary psychiatric diagnosis is perfomed.
Both programmes
comprise:
a)
Individual therapy
b)
Group therapy
c)
Pastoral
counselling
d)
Occupational
therapy
e)
Family groups
f)
Support groups
g)
Reflexology therapy
h)
Psychological and
psychiatric services
i)
Pre-admission
assessment
j)
Medical care
k)
Life skills
l)
Hobbies and
recreation
m)
Sport
n)
Referrals for after
care
The support staff consists of the following multi-disciplinary team:
a)
Social workers
b)
Nursing staff
c)
Addiction
counsellors
d)
Pastoral
counsellors
e)
A clinical
psychologist
f)
A psychiatrist
Treatment fee
a)
The treatment fee
for the 12 week programme is R16 500.00.
It is preferred that this be paid on admission.
b)
Patients who are
unable to pay the full treatment fee can apply for a subsidized placement.
c)
Applications are
considered on submission of financial statements of the patient and the family.
d)
Patients with
social grants pay a minimum of R500.00 per month.
e)
Limited beds are
available and are subsidized by the state.
f)
All applications
for these beds must go through a social worker, even if the admission is
voluntary.
g)
Patients are admitted in terms of the
Substance Abuse Act and Criminal Procedures Act.
VISIT TO
Briefing by Ms Davids, Chief Director for the
Department of Social Services.
Ms Davids presented the
following:
a)
The South African
Police Services are aware of drug trafficking hot spots, but not much is being
done to address this problem.
b)
The Department is
working with community safety forums to address the problem.
c)
It is difficult to
get volunteers to help in the centre because the centre is situated in a remote
area.
d)
Most people who sit
on the provincial substance abuse forum are also serving on the Central Drug
Agency.
e)
The provincial
forum does not meet with the people. This could better be done on the local
government level.
f)
If municipalities
could work with the police, curbing the drug trafficking could be easier.
g)
In
h)
Peer pressure is
immense, families should work together to fight substance abuse.
i)
The department is
in the process of trying other innovations that have never been tried before
e.g. the department was planning to do a door to door awareness campaign in Mamelodi. This was
the MEC’s initiative.
Ms Lucia Mokoena, Manager, Magaliesburg
centre presented the following information:
a)
Magaliesoord was initially
designed to cater for white males only because of the capacity of the centre, It was after 1994 that it started to accept people
from other racial groups.
b)
The staff members
are mostly white because of that background. The institution is in the process
of addressing this issue.
c)
It is difficult to
provide the after care service for the youth coming from other provinces
because of the lack of resources.
d)
Some patients are
sent to the facility because they have committed crime, some are sent by the
courts as a form of a sentence, some are forced by their families.
e)
The facility has
covered about 1000 school children during the current year as a form of
awareness campaign.
f)
The other useful
intervention is bringing school children to visit the place so that they could
see the consequences of substance abuse.
g)
Patients follow a
twelve week programme and are treated internally.
h)
The facility is
hoping to get a medical doctor that will reside on the premises.
i)
A life skills programme
is offered to the patients in order to help them understand the side effects of
drug abuse, how to say no to drugs and personal hygiene.
j)
On admission,
patients are treated individually and sent to groups afterwards in order to
share their experiences.
k)
The facility works
hand in hand with the National Youth Commission.
Challenges facing
the centre:
a)
The centre is not
very accessible, there is no public transport operating around the centre.
b)
Family days are
held on a quarterly basis. It would be better to involve families in every step
of the programme.
c)
Parents should also
be empowered.
d)
The youth section
is small and only accommodates twenty children.
Visit to Stabilis Treatment centre
Mr Tobie Visser
and Mr Ray Eberlein briefly presented the following
information to the delegation:
a)
The centre was
officially opened in
b)
The treatment was
initially for adult male alcoholics.
c)
The treatment was
later extended to incorporate male and female alcoholics and medication
treatment.
d)
It later included
spouses and others concerned in rehabilitation programmes and a full time after
care treatment programme was developed.
e)
Before 1999 the
centre was managed by the management board which comprised mainly ministers of
the Dutch Reformed Church. The centre was effectively a charity at that time.
It was also supervised and controlled by the Synodal
Committee for the Ministry of Caring.
f)
In 1999 the
services were extended further to meet the needs of increasing numbers of young
drug dependants.
g)
The province
subsidizes the centre.
h)
The cost of
admission is R400.00 per day, excluding medication. 85% of patients use their medical aids.
i)
It is difficult to run such centres without
the help of a psychiatrist.
j)
The security is
very tight in the centre but there is no guarantee that the drugs could not be
sneaked in.
k)
There are no parole
patients.
l)
Drug dealing is the second biggest industry in
the world after arms
and is followed by prostitution.
m)
Drugs are designed to make a person feel good
the moment one uses
them and be hooked immediately.
Treatment
programmes
The centre offers three different in-patient treatment
programmes:
a)
Alcohol – 21 days
b)
Alcohol/medication
– 28 days
c)
Drugs – 35 days
Treatment team
Part-time:
a)
Psychiatrist
b)
General medical
practitioner
c)
Minister of
religion
d)
Dietician
e)
Pharmacist
f)
Occupational
therapist
g)
Sport psychologist
Full time:
a)
Psychologists
b)
Social services
practitioners
c)
Professional nurses
(24 hours)
The programme
involves:
a)
Individual treatment – physical assessment of all patients and detoxification as needed with
different withdrawal regimes.
Psychological/emotional assessment of patients. Group and individual therapy sessions
daily. Weekly evaluation sessions with
the Executive Director. The patient’s spouses and parents are also involved.
b)
Psychiatric treatment – drug patients, 48% dual diagnoses.
Workshops for married couples are conducted. Relaxation and occupational therapy are done
on weekly basis as a group.
c)
Spiritual development – daily voluntary religious meetings with the patient’s own spiritual
leader. Individual pastoral personal sessions are done on a voluntary basis.
d)
Physical development – sport therapy sessions twice a week.
Adventure therapy is done once per treatment period.
e)
Aftercare – patients are linked into self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
f)
Recuperation Facilitation Phase (part of aftercare) – Spouses, significant others, general practitioners
and ministers of religion are involved in the process. Also individual telephone discussions are
done on a monthly basis.
The centre uses the following methods to measure its
progress and effectiveness of its programme:
a)
Subjective
multi-dimensional questionnaire on admission and discharge.
b)
Prognosis analysis
c)
Client satisfaction
questionnaire
Visit to SANCA
Horizon Alcohol and Drug Centre
Ms Vos, Director of the
centre, welcomed everybody and presented the following information to the
delegation:
a)
Alcohol is still
the number one substance used.
b)
Alcoholics never
came drunk in the institution.
c)
The staff
contingent is still white, but there is no particular reason for this.
d)
Before 1994, no
teenagers were treated for abusing drugs in the facility.
e)
More cases of
substance abuse have increased since 1994.
f)
The SAPS and Correctional
Services are represented in the forum that meets on Thursdays dealing with drug
related issues.
g)
The group comprises
of 15-25 people, including teachers who attend weekly meetings.
h)
Most of the staff
members in the institution went for the Ke Moja training with the help of the Department of Social
Development.
i)
The staff members
participated in the Ke Moja
campaign focusing on grade 8 learners.
j)
Local government is
supposed to drive the programme because municipalities are more in touch with
the people, but they are not involved in the campaign.
k)
The plan is to
introduce the campaign to primary schools.
l)
Correctional
services and the Department of Social Development are working well together.
m)
Social workers feel
that they do not get enough support from the police.
n)
The collaborative
approach with other departments is strong but it can be strengthened more.
o)
The new substance
that is called maupe (dagga mixed with heroine) is
killing the youth.
Ms Gumede, Chief Social Worker also briefed the delegation as
follows:
a)
In the year 2005/06
the facility had seen about 255 patients.
b)
Most patients are
willing to stop but it is difficult because of the peer pressure. The youth
believe that if you are not using drugs or HIV positive you are not cool.
Visit to the House
of Mercy Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation
Treatment Centre
Ms Ruby Weber,
Director of the centre briefed the delegation as follows:
a)
The House of Mercy
provides rehabilitation services to the poorest and vulnerable members of the
community and gives preference for treatment to those who cannot afford the
costs involved at other rehabilitation clinics.
b)
There is a 42 days
programme which costs about R6000, which includes the fee for accommodation,
clinic fees and counselling. The 32 days programme costs R3000
and also includes accommodation, clinic fees and counselling.
c)
The clinic was
opened in August 1988 and was registered in 1991 with the Department of Social
Services and Population Development and is constituted as a Non-Profit
Organisation.
d)
The centre provides
intensive residential treatment for all chemically dependent persons from the
age of 18 years and above.
e)
The treatment
involves healing in a holistic manner focusing on the emotional, psychological
and spiritual needs of the client, in addition to physical healing.
The treatment
includes:
a)
Initial medical
detoxification
b)
A minimum of 21
days’ programme for alcohol dependence
c)
A minimum of 42
days’ programme for drug addiction
d)
Weekly Alcoholics
Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous meetings
e)
An eight week
after-care follow up programme
Education
The education programme emphasizes the development of
the person and aims at improving the quality of life of the patients in
treatment and their families.
The education
programme concentrates on the following aspects:
a)
Stress management
b)
Lifestyle skills
c)
Communication
d)
Assertiveness
training
e)
Problem solving
f)
Constructive
recreation
Treatment programme
As each person has an individual problem personal
needs are taken into account. The 21 and
42 day programmes include:
a)
Medical treatment
and vitamin therapy
b)
Individual
counselling
c)
Group therapy
d)
12 step programme
e)
Alcohol and Drug
education
f)
Family therapy
g)
Relaxation therapy
and physical exercise
The after-care programme comprises out-patient counselling.
While in treatment the patients are introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous,
Narcotics Anonymous and Drug concerns.
They are encouraged to join one of these groups and to attend them
regularly after discharge as means of maintaining sobriety.
One of the advantages of the centre is that it is
easily accessible by road. The centre
caters for male and female patients and has the capacity to treat 48
residential clients.
VISIT TO THE
The following places were visited in the
a)
b)
c)
SANCA office –
d)
Noupoort Christian Care
Centre
Briefing by the MEC
for Social Welfare Services, Head of Department and the Management
The following issues were generally discussed:
a)
The need for more
rehabilitation centres in the province was highlighted. Currently there are
more mental institutions in the area and that needed to be changed.
b)
Alcohol is the most
used substance.
c)
Murders and child
abuse are mostly associated with alcohol and shebeens.
d)
The department
works together with other departments i.e department of safety and security, department of
education, department of health and the South African Police Services.
e)
The province is
serious on fighting substance abuse. The department’s budget for 2007/08 has
been increased five fold.
f)
The shortage of
social workers in the province is a problem.
g)
Tik is known to be popular in the
h)
Ke moja
programme has been introduced in few schools. SALGA provided Local Drug Action
Committees with funds.
Places that were
visited in the
Visit to
a)
The delegation
interacted with pupils and advised them not to use drugs as it would deprive
them the opportunities to reach their dreams and fulfil their goals.
b)
It was observed
that the volunteers of the Ke moja
programme are teaching the pupils about the dangers of using drugs.
Meeting with the
stakeholders
The following stakeholders were represented in the
meeting:
a)
Social workers in
the Department of Social Development
b)
Department of
health
c)
Department of education
d)
e)
Crime prevention
f)
South African
National Cancer Association
g)
South African Local
Government Association
h)
Foundation for
Alcohol Research – FAR
i)
Crime research
The following matters were discussed:
a)
There are no public
in-patient facility in the
b)
Lack of funds make
it difficult to implement the Ke moja
programme
c)
Ke moja
should be part of the school curriculum
d)
The substance abuse
leads to disintegration of families
e)
Families are very
central in the issue of substance abuse
f)
Research should
focus on the impact of substance abuse in all levels of the community
g)
Intercommunication/collaboration
should start within the department
h)
Intersectoral campaigns should
be directed to places where youth hang around e.g
taverns, night clubs and other recreational centres.
Visit to the
Dr Kirimi, Dr Saait and M Makwane jointly
briefed the delegation as follows:
a)
Foetal Alcohol
Syndrome (FAS) is high in the province because of the high level of alcohol
abuse.
b)
There are only two
SANCA centres in the province, which are situated in Upington
and
c)
There is no
in-patient facility in the province. Patients are sent to other provinces.
d)
There is a serious
need for building of rehabilitation centres in the province.
e)
Detox services are very crucial in
the process of substance treatment.
f)
After treatment the
patients are usually handed over to social workers.
g)
It is difficult to
stabilize these services because of the high turnover of social workers.
h)
Many social workers
leave NGO’s because of low salaries that are offered.
i)
Social workers’
salaries have taken a nose dive; this hampers the process of substance abuse treatment, especially, the after-care
service.
j)
In the
past, 80% of SANCA patients were people that are older than 40 years but now
the patients have become younger.
k)
Kids as
young as 13 years are using dagga, this is why the
target should focus more at primary schools.
l)
Every
drug campaign should involve parents because charity begins at home.
Visit to SANCA –
The centre provided the following information to the
delegation:
a)
Addiction
is an emotional disease
b)
Most
causes of drug addiction are emotionally related
c)
Substance
abuse can cause brain damage, physical effects like, ageing process and change
in personality.
d)
Brain
damage could be permanent but managed by medication.
e)
Most
drug addicts do not know that they are sick when they come to the centre.
f)
A first
session is usually used to explain the addiction to the patient.
g)
People
come through referrals.
h)
The
centre provides aftercare service every Monday evenings.
i)
Social
workers play a big role in the process. They listen to people to hear their
reasons for resorting to drug abuse.
j)
Because
of lack of resources the centre can see approximately eight people per week,
and there is no after-care service.
k)
The
treatment fee is R160.00 for eight weeks.
l)
The
centre offers a free service for those who cannot afford payment.
m)
The
major donor of the centre is the lotto.
n)
The
centre also offers a programme for gamblers and over eaters.
o)
Magaliesoord
treatment centre admits people that are referred by SANCA.
p)
There
are only two SANCA centres in the whole province, Upington
and
Tshepo – a volunteer of
the Ke moja programme
mentioned that:
a)
Teenagers
Against Drug Abuse (TADA), is not registered with the
Department of Education.
b)
Ke moja is registered with the Department of Education and is
very informative but operates only during school hours.
c)
The
youth resort to drugs after school because there are no night activities for
youth.
d)
TADA is
trying to formulate night activities that would interest the youth and keep
them busy.
e)
There is
a lack of resources, municipality is closing down the sports grounds and
building houses on them.
f)
The
Department of Sport and Department of Social Development should discuss this
issue so as to resolve this matter.
Visit to the Noupoort Christian Care Centre
Pastor Sophos briefed the delegation as follows:
a)
The
centre was established in 1992 and it is a faith based centre.
b)
The
treatment programme is based on bible teachings but the religion is not an
essential component.
c)
Discipline
and spirituality are the most important focus of the programme.
d)
Although
this is a Christian Centre, it accepts people from different religions.
e)
The
programme runs for a year.
f)
About
160 people are involved in the programme.
g)
The
centre has a 76% success rate.
h)
People
that are on the programme are called residents, not patients.
i)
Residents
are taken to the Corrective Intervention, (CI) as part of detention when
they’ve done something wrong. They are separated from the rest of the group.
j)
He
raised some concerns about the new bill. He said that the norms and standards
are too restrictive.
k)
The new
bill concentrates more on the medical and professional sides of treatment, but
leaves out the emotional and moral sides.
l)
Noupoort centre
concentrates more on the morality of people.
m)
The centre is not subsidised by government.
n)
He is
not ashamed of the disciplines that are applied in the centre.
o)
The
centre does not abuse patients but disciplines them.
p)
People
should look at the holistic programme before they conclude that residents are
abused.
q)
Patients
come to the centre by choice but there are few who are referred to the centre
by the courts.
r)
He
suggested that all rehabilitation centres should report back to government at 3
to 5 times a year.
s)
Drug
usage is becoming more dangerous than HIV/Aids.
t)
People
come to the centre after they have gone thorough assessment.
u)
Staff
members stay in the centre.
v)
He also
mentioned that he had reported drug lords a couple of times but nothing has been done about that.
w)
He
mentioned that the government should try very hard to provide people with work
as unemployment causes people to lose hope and a sense of worth.
x)
He
mentioned that alcohol hits people harder because it is easily accessible and
is cheaper than e.g. cocaine and heroine.
The delegation felt that Pastor Sophos
did not mention anything about expenditure and budget paterns
from the allocations received from the Department of Social Services. It was
also observed that there was no audit report presented.
Whilst the Committee notes with anticipation the
envisaged introduction of the Drug Abuse Bill, it recommended the following:
a)
The focus on
substance abuse should not be centred only in urban or metropolitan areas, the
programmes should also roll out to rural areas and more centres should be
developed and supported, especially, in the historically disadvantaged areas.
b)
In the light of the
general shortage of social workers, other social services professionals should
be deployed to enhance the capacity of government to deliver services in this
field, including child and youth care workers who are not currently registered
and the use of retired professionals.
c)
The Department of
Social Development must ensure that programmes are properly monitored in terms
of their efficacy.
d)
The Committee urges
an inter-sectoral approach in addressing the
challenge, particularly in relation to prevention through developing and
sustaining youth programmes and facilities at a local government level with the
involvement of municipalities.
e)
Communities raised
a concern of the lack of visible police around the drug supply networks, there
should be community policing programmes and closer collaboration with community
in identifying arrests and prosecution of drug lords.
f)
The allocation of
resources and supply to prevention and treatment programmes should not be
limited to Non Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) but extended to include
Community Based Organisations (CBO’s). NGO’s should
be encouraged to involve communities in their government structures, design and
implementation structures.
g)
The Committee
having noted with concern a level of weakness in provincial forums and local
action committees created in terms of the Drug Master Plan recommend that
implementation of the Drug Master Plan be strengthened to ensure that
stakeholders who are not active are called to do so.
h)
The delegation
recommended that the treatment centres should make use of Parliamentary
Constituency Offices for some of their awareness campaigns.
i)
The Western Cape
Provincial Department mentioned that the use of drugs also leads to childhood
pregnancies; therefore the committee asked the department to investigate
whether the social assistance is to be blamed for that.