REPORT
OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT OF
THE CENTRAL DRUG AUTHORITY (CDA) DATED 20 AUGUST 2013
The Portfolio Committee on Social Development having
considered and deliberated on the 2011/12 Annual Report of the Central Drug
Authority (CDA or Authority) on 04 June 2013, wishes to report as follows:
1. Introduction
The Committee’s
mandate as prescribed by the Constitution of South Africa and the Rules of
Parliament is to build an oversight process that ensures a quality process of
scrutinising and overseeing Government’s action and that is driven by the ideal
of realising a better quality of life for all people of South Africa.
The Committee, as part of exercising its oversight
function received a briefing from the CDA on its 2011/12 Annual Report. This
report presents some of the key achievements and challenges encountered by the CDA
in meeting its set strategic objectives. It will
also highlight the observations made by the Committee.
2. Presentation by the Central Drug Authority on
its 2011/12 annual report
The CDA is a statutory body, established in terms of
the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, Act No 20 of 1992 as
amended. The CDA consists of 12 appointed members from the
private sector, who are experts in the substance abuse field, 14 representatives
of the national government departments, and three national government entities
nominated by their respective Ministers. Currently, the authority is composed of nine
Provincial Substance Abuse Forums (PSAF) and 238 Local Drug Action Committees
(LDAC).
It serves as an advisory body to the Minister of
Social Development for a period of five years. Its functions are to give effect
to the National Drug Master Plan (NDMP), advise the Minister on any matter
affecting the abuse of drugs referred to the CDA by the Minister for advice and
may advise the Minister on any matter on which the CDA considers it necessary
and it may plan, co-ordinate and promote measures relating to the prevention
and combating of the abuse of drugs and the treatment of persons dependent on
drugs in accordance with the National Drug Master Plan. The CDA also arranges
conferences/summits relating to the combating of substance abuse in South
Africa. It oversees and monitors the anti substance abuse activities of the 16
national departments and entities. It also ensures that there is effective
liaison between the Provincial Substance Abuse Forums and the Local Drug Action
Committees.
The overall goal of CDA is to ensure that there
is measurable reduction in the substance abuse. The impact of this, is to see
reduction in the substance abuse and related social ills such as poverty,
HIV/AIDS, sex work, crime etc. The outcome of this goal is to ensure that there
is improved quality of life through integrated Departmental and Provincial Drug
Master Plans and reports.
3. Target set for 2011/12
The authority set itself the following targets
to achieve during the year under review:
•
Review the National Drug Master Plan;
•
Improve access to substance abuse information,
interventions, including treatment;
•
Reduce demand for illicit and licit substances of abuse;
•
Reduce supply of illicit and licit substances of
abuse;
•
Reduce harm caused by substances;
•
Conduct research;
•
Conduct capacity building of service providers;
and
•
Develop policy and legislation.
3.1 Achievements on set targets
The following achievements were reported:
3.1.1
National Drug
Master Plan
The Authority consulted with the relevant stakeholders on the new NDMP
and all inputs were factored into the document which resulted into the updated
and refined Draft NDMP 2013 – 2017, which had been finalised.
3.1.2 Improvement of access to substance abuse
information and effective
Intervention
A national clearinghouse was established and it was functional. The
Resource Directory was updated. The helpline was sustained and it reached 14 871
people. The SMS line was also sustained and it reached 31 078 people.
3.1.3 Increase capacity building to provincial forum members
and the LDAC
The CDA conducted capacity building workshops in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Northern
Cape, Free State, North West, KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape.
3.1.4
Development of policy and legislation
The Department of
Health drafted the legislation on alcohol advertising,
sponsorship and promotion. It also finalised the Detoxification Policy.
The Department of
Social Development finalised and gazetted the Regulations of the
Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act (No.70 of 2008). The
Department of Home Affairs developed an integrated policy and drafted
guidelines for combating substance abuse.
3.1.5
Reduce demand for illicit and licit substances of
abuse
The Department of
Health implemented the Departmental Drug Master
Plan and the Department of Community
Safety through the Moral Regeneration programme. The department also conducted the screening and limited interventions for
alcohol use disorders among TB patients. The patients were integrated into three
health districts and two primary health facilities.
The Department of Correctional Service’s Moral
Regeneration Programme known as Heart lines reached 19 468 inmates. The department procured a Youth Resilience Programme
and 7 290 youth were enrolled in the programme.
The Department of Basic
Education reached 105 231 learners through a Life Skills programme. It also developed a national strategy for the
prevention and management of substance abuse among learners. A total of 10 350
schools were linked to the police stations.
The Department of Social
Development developed an Integrated Anti-Substance Abuse Programme of Action
and evaluated the Ke Moja programme. A monitoring and assessment tool for
substance abuse services was developed and a Community Based Model was implemented
in all the provinces. The department also developed a treatment model and capacitated
all provinces in the implementation of norms and standards for outpatient
services. It monitored four treatment centres.
The Department of Sports and Recreation implemented
an anti-doping programme to combat doping in all 86 sporting codes. It also implemented
a Registered Testing Pool programme in all 86 sporting codes.
The South African
Police Services (SAPS) conducted 52 940
inspections on liquor premises and 27 416 illegal premises were closed. A total
of 1 093 069 036 litres of illegal liquor, including home brewed beer, were
confiscated.
The Department of Trade and Industry Compliance
inspections and investigations were conducted by at provincial and national
levels. The department ensured that liquor industry set aside 1% of its annual
turnover for anti substance abuse interventions.
The Department of Justice
and Constitutional Development implemented a Departmental Drug Master Plan. It
also established drug courts in the Western Cape province. The national
department conducted a special project to determine the link between HIV and
substance abuse in schools.
4. Achievements of Provincial
Substance Abuse Forums
4.1 Reduce supply for
illicit and licit substances of abuse
A total number of 1 869
people were arrested in the Free State by the SAPS on drug related crimes and
63 964 604 grams of dagga was confiscated.
About 6 800 inspections were conducted at liquor outlets and 34 404
litres of alcohol were confiscated from illegal traders and 182 licensed liquor
premises were charged.
In 2012, the Western Cape
province implemented the Liquor Act and liquor tribunal members were appointed.
SAPS made 70 000 drug related arrests.
4.2 Reduce demand for illicit and
licit substances of abuse
The Authority through the
Ke Moja programmes reached a total number of 1 916 youth and it established 218 Teenagers
Against Drug Abuse (TADA) programmes in schools.
Free State
The province trained 79 master trainers on the Ke Moja programme which
was implemented in 71 schools. A total of 7 381 learners were reached through
this programme. A total of 1 108 schools
implemented a ‘Adopt a Cop Programme’ in partnership with the SAPS. The provincial Department of Basic Education
held drug testing workshops to 227 educators in 100 schools. The province
established 1 083 school safety committees.
Gauteng Province
The province developed an anti substance abuse strategy. Five (5)
regional action committees and 23 LDACs were sustained. The Ke Moja prevention
programmes were established and they reached 5 592 beneficiaries. Approximately 1 000 people were trained on
the prevention campaign in Mamelodi and Hammanskraal. Educators from 15 districts were capacitated
on prevention and awareness campaigns. A total number of 5 000 people were reached
through the aftercare programmes. A total number of 2 935 million people were reached
through media campaigns. Eight thousand young people attended the Future Leader’s
conference in July 2011. The province established 22 LADCs.
Limpopo
Thirty two (32) LDACs were established in five districts and 65 members
of the LDACs were trained on the effects of drugs on the human body. Nine (9) Community Based Organisations (CBOs)
were established and training was provided to 40 social workers on puppets
prevention and learner support programme.
The province also conducted 12 community mobilization campaigns. Awareness
and information talks were given to 27 schools.
The province also held a youth indaba and a provincial liquor conference.
Mpumalanga
The province managed to sustain 18 LDACs and three
districts action committees during the year under review. Awareness campaigns were conducted in three districts,
reaching 55 272 learners. A Provincial
Master Plan was developed and launched.
Northern Cape
Approximately 20 500 youth people were reached through the youth campaigns and
248 Department of Social Development personnel were capacitated to render
substance abuse prevention services.
Three (3) NPOs were funded to deliver services
on substance abuse and a total of 28 111 adults and children were made aware of
the effects of substance abuse.
North West
A total number of 60 Provincial Substance Abuse Forum (PSAF) members were
capacitated on aftercare programmes and 19 were orientated on NDMP. Advocacy and awareness programmes were
conducted and they reached about 2 500 people.
The Community Mobilization Campaign reached a
total of 2 723 people and 42 000 people were reached through the Ke Moja Anti-substance
Prevention Strategy.
Western Cape
A full directory of substance abuse services was developed in each
district. The early intervention,
screening, assessment, brief interventions and referral services continued to
be delivered in partnership with the Department of Social Development, Department
of Health and the Department of Basic Education.
4.3 Reduce harm caused by
illicit and licit substances of abuse
Free State
A total number of 3 628 offenders were reached
through the treatment services. Forty five (45) non-government organisations (NGOs)
were funded to render anti substance abuse intervention services and 878
service users were reached through the individual counselling and pre-admission
services by social workers. Capacity
building in 31 CBOs was provided in the SANCA centres.
Gauteng
Sixty seven (67) beds
were purchased from six (6) NPOs that run in-patient treatment centres to
ensure that the treatment services were accessible. Six hundred and fifty three
(653) beneficiaries were treated at in-patient treatment centres managed by the
not-for-profit organisations (NPOs). The
province registered four private treatment centres.
KwaZulu-Natal
Two (2) inpatient
treatment centres were funded and that two (2) NGOs were funded to render treatment
services to children.
Mpumalanga
The province has one in patient private
treatment centre for adults and six NPOs were subsidised by government.
Northern Cape
A total number of 48
clients were referred to in-patient treatment centres outside the province
while 445 people received out-patient treatment in their communities. A total of 45 people received aftercare
services.
Western Cape
The province has two public
treatment centres and six private treatment centres. The Department of Social
Development introduced urine testing as a requirement for all drug treatment
programmes funded by the department.
Eastern Cape
The province has five funded treatment centres
and 738 admitted clients accessed their services.
KwaZulu-Natal
The province intensified its substance abuse
prevention and awareness initiatives.
The Department of Health held a provincial mental health and substance
abuse conferences.
5. Challenges
The authority reported that it had encountered the
following challenges:
·
The impact of the CDA and the NDMP on the
quality of life of communities in South Africa was yet to be measured;
·
The Departmental Drug Master Plans and reports
from the national and provincial departments responsible for drug abuse
counteraction continued not to be submitted on time;
·
The Provincial Substance Abuse Forums had to be
put on both the public and political agenda of the provinces;
·
The Local Drug Action Committees (LDACs) had to
be established in all 238 Municipal Areas in order to combat substance abuse at
local level; and
·
There was a shortage of public treatment centres
to deal with a large number of people who are addicted to harmful substances.
6. Observations
The Committee expressed dissatisfaction over CDA’s late submission of
its annual report over the past two years. It emphasized the importance of the
CDA’s compliance to the deadline set for submission of annual reports to
Parliament, which is 30 September each year. It noted the CDA’s undertaking
that it would submit the 2012/2013 annual report on time.
The Committee noted with serious concern the lack of support and
reporting by government departments and other agencies such as the National
Youth Development Agency, responsible for the fight again substance abuse, to
the CDA. This has resulted in the CDA not meeting the deadline of submitting
its annual report to Parliament on time.
The Committee also noted with great concern
the shortage of rehabilitation centres in the country and the inadequate
assessment of the existing centres. The
committee raised this as worrying factor as communities are faced with enormous
problems of substance abuse. It
recommended that necessary measures should be taken to establish state funded
rehabilitation centres in all provinces.
It noted the
explanation provided by the CDA that the delays in the finalisation of the
cannabis paper had been due to the ever changing ingredients used to
manufacture this drug. This made it difficult for scientists to develop an
appropriate therapeutic treatment to be used.
It expressed concern over the delays by the CDA
in finalising the revised National Drug Master Plan. It felt that this plan
should have been approved long time ago. The absence of the revised master plan
made it difficult for the stakeholders in the sector to operate.
It felt that the
Ke Moja programme is not being optimally implemented in schools. This is an important programme and an effective
intervention in the fight against substance abuse. It is therefore critical
that it be rolled out to all the schools across the country. It requested a copy of a draft report on the assessment of the Ke
Moja programme.
The Committee emphasised the vital role played by the Faith Based
Organisations (FBOs) in the fight against substance abuse. It felt that these
organisations are doing a significant job in the fight against substance abuse.
It was not satisfied with the content and structure of the annual
report. It felt that the report lacked content. It only reported on figures
without any narrative to further explain the achievements and the impact
analysis of the programmes.
7. Recommendations
The Portfolio Committee on Social Development, having
considered the annual report of the CDA, makes the following overall
recommendations:
The Minister of Social Development should ensure that:
·
The tabling of the National Drug Master Plan to
Cabinet for finalisation is treated as a matter of urgency.
·
The CDA develops a plan to address any challenges
or obstacles that had resulted in minimal involvement of Faith-Based
Organisations (FBOs) in the CDA programmes.
·
The Department of Social Development is encouraged
to expand the anti-substance abuse model it used in Eldorado Park to other
communities in the country.
·
The CDA prioritises the impact assessment of its
programmes in provinces. This is very critical.
·
The CDA develops a standardised reporting template
that would be used by the provinces when reporting on their anti-substance
abuse programmes so as to improve the CDA’s annual reporting to Parliament.
·
The National
Department of Social Development and the Provincial Department of Social
Development in collaboration with the National Treasury should take necessary measures to ensure that the state funded rehabilitation
centres are established in all provinces and monitoring and evaluation is
conducted in the existing centres.
Report to be considered.