On the eve of Youth Month, as we prepare to commemorate 30 years since the student uprisings in 1976, it is correct that the Stonefountain College gathers us here to support their programme of work among the youth.

The fact that their programme is centred on 2 of the most important challenges facing youth, namely, skills and substance abuse, says to the business sector that such programmes need to be supported.

They have called me, as Premier, to account to them how it is that we are fighting the scourge of substance abuse, particularly drugs. This is reasonable given that the Government of the Western Cape has committed itself to making this Province a Home for All. It cannot be a Home for All if it is not a drug free home for our youth, and if it does not offer a future for our young people.

We also owe it to the youth of 1976, of 1980, 1985 and every generation of young people who sacrificed themselves that we may today be free, that we assist the youth for today to live fully free, and to anticipate the future, not with the dread of unemployment, but with the excitement of those who are prepared for the future.

It is indeed those who cannot see a future, those who are not certain about tomorrow, who live today, taking shortcuts, making choices that jeopardise tomorrow, and are not fortified against nihilism. It is such young people who fall victim to diseases like HIV and AIDS, who fall victim to various substances, teenage pregnancies, and disastrous subject choices. That such youth are also trapped in poverty, surrounded by gangsterism, reared in dysfunctional families and communities, and exposed daily to violence, mean that their battles are harder and their needs are greater and more worthy of our support.

Government is fully aware of the scale and depth of the problem confronting the Western Cape. The MRC has recently shared with us the latest research on Substance abuse and the youth:

1. 25% of those in drug treatment centres are under 20 years old:
2. 1 in 5 HIV patients met the criteria for alcohol abuse or substance dependence;
3. Such dependence is also central to other problems such as risky sex, family violence and academic failure;
4. Cannabis/ Mandrax is still the most common illicit drugs, but since 2005, methamphetamine or Tik has become the primary substance of abuse;
5. Almost 6 out every 10 people arrested in 2000, tested positive for an illegal drug, with the figure rising for crimes such as housebreaking; and
6. 80% of teenage drinkers have been drunk at least once.

I mention these facts to you, not because you are not familiar with them, but so that you know that I know, and because knowledge is the beginning of action. It is too early to proclaim that we are winning. In fact we are only at the start of putting in place a Drug Master Plan. It has to be a plan that can cover the conveyor belt of substance abuse:

1. We must reduce Demand by preventing young people from experimenting with drugs and becoming addicted through awareness and healthy living alternatives. The ireintroduction of school sport and making it compulsory is one example of our interventions.
2. We must reduce Supply by acting harshly against those who sell drungs in our communities and those who supply them through global cartels. Our additional police, the highflyers programmes, and the use of POCA and tax laws are proving successful, except where witnesses fear for their safety.
3. We must Rehabilitate those addicted so that they can get out of the spiral and don't fall deeper into crime to feed their addiction.

To kickstart the implementation of this plan we have significantly increased our anti drug budget from R6,7m to R15m in this year. It is too early to feel the effects, but this is a sign of our commitment, an indication that the war is on and an investment that will grow and yield its results in the medium term.

The impact of this financial investment will significantly increase the treatment capacity of the public sector which currently stands at just under 300 patients. This should grow now so that the state can handle those who want rehabilitation but cannot afford the private sector.

R10m will now be available to support community based organisations in the fight against drugs, and government will use this leverage to make sure that such organisations will use their resources where the needs are most. Of this money, R630 000 will be used for Youth Prevention Campaigns.

Using police statistics, we have been able to identify the 10 worst affected drug areas in the Province. The scale of the challenge is such that traditional methods of rehabilitation will not suffice. We need to shift from narrow in-patient care to community based care. We are working through an appropriate model with the UN agency on drugs, but what we do know is that it has to be multi-sectoral, and must be based on the training of community members as rehab workers. 300 volunteers are being trained in the 10 areas.

To support such community initiatives, we must increase our network of in-patient beds so that detoxification and other processes can occur. To this end we are investing R2m to open 60 such beds free to those who have made the serious choice for rehabilitation.

Shado Twala
Spokesperson
Office of the Premier of the Western Cape
Address: Provincial Parliament, Mezzanine Level, Office of the Premier, M7, 7 Wale Street, Cape Town, 8001
Tel: 021 483 5642
Fax: 021 483 5636
Email: stwala@pgwc.gov.za
Visit our website: www.capegateway.gov.za