We 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 of today to live fully free, and to anticipate the future, not with the dread of poverty, unemployment, and addiction, but with the excitement of those who are prepared for the future.
It is indeed those who cannot see the future, those who are not certain about tomorrow, who live only for today, who seek instant gratification, who take shortcuts, who make choices that jeopardize tomorrow, and are, therefore, 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 at school. That such youth are often 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. I select a few indicators:
- 25% of those in drug treatment centers are under 20 years old;
- 1 in 5 HIV patients met the criteria for alcohol abuse or substance dependence;
- Such dependence is also central to other problems such as risky sex, family violence and academic failure;
- Cannabis/Mandrax is still the most common illicit drug, but since 2005, methamphetamine or Tik has become the primary substance of abuse;
- Almost 6 out of every 10 people arrested in 200, tested positive for an illegal drug, with the figure rising for crimes such as housebreaking; and
- 80% of teenage drinkers have been drunk at least once.
I mention these facts to you, not because you are 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.
I believe that it is appropriate that we launch this plan on the eve of June 16 as part of our commemoration of the student and youth uprisings of 1976. Throughout the country young people registered their opposition, at first to the imposition of Afrikaans, then to Bantu Education, then to the police brutality, and then to the Apartheid system itself. And as the one generation of youth followed the other, they crystallized a vision of a new society, a non-racial one, a humane one, a gentle one. They also began to articulate, however faltingly, the idea that to emerge with a humane society, the struggle itself has to be conducted in that humane way, never repeating the racism that they wanted to overthrow, never stooping to brutality that confronted them, and never reaching levels of despair and nihilism that was inherent in the Apartheid system.
We owe it to them that we must keep our society free of any inhumanity, brutality, despair and nihilism, whether they emerge from any neglect of our Human Rights, or whether they emerge from the neglect of our young people. When I delivered the State of the Province Address in February 2006, the Provincial Government reflected on the events 30 years ago and the sacrifices of the youth that we commemorate this year. We asked the question: how can we remember the youth today, so that we realize the principles, values and vision for which the youth sacrificed 30 years ago? What do we do beyond the memorial service, the rally, the reflection?
We realized that the youth of the '70's, the '80's and the early 1990's were not the lost generations because they knew they were firmly on their way to freedom and democracy. The lost youth may well be those young people who, in freedom and democracy, find themselves locked in poverty and unemployment, young people who in desperation and hopelessness succumb to the temptations of gangsterism, crime, drugs and sexually transmitted diseases.
It was in this context that the Provincial Government of the Western Cape decided that the best tribute to pay to Hector Petersen, Xolile Moise, Christopher Truter, and every other young person who died, so that we might be free, is to say Siyabulela, Ons Dank Julle. We Thank You in the most concrete and practical way possible.
Every member of this government of this government was tasked to respond to some of the most pressing problems confronting the youth by getting their Departments to deliver in the spirit of Siyabulela.
Minister Pierre Uys today has delivered on one of the most important components in the fight against substance abuse. He was tasked with the Health Department to broaden the definition of mental health, and therefore the use of health facilities to respond to the very real challenge of drugs in our society, especially amongst the youth. I thank him, and the Department for showing that Government works, that it delivers, and that it is stepping outside of silos and is capable of responding to complex challenges in comprehensive, integrated and partnership-driven ways.
The fight against substance abuse has to involve a plan that can cover the conveyor belt of substance abuse:
- We must reduce Demand by preventing young people from experimenting with drugs and becoming addicted through awareness and healthy living alternatives. The reintroduction of school sport and making it compulsory is one example of our interventions.
- We must reduce Supply by acting harshly against those who sell drugs 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.
- 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 in 2005 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 organizations in the fight against drugs, and government will use this leverage to make sure that such organizations will use their resources where the needs are most. Of this money, R63 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 impatient 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. For those who have made the serious choice for rehabilitation, detoxification is the important starting point, but is proving to be a very serious bottleneck given the lack of facilities and the costs related to this in the private sector. Detoxification for most drugs and alcohol addiction can be done on an outpatient basis. To this end we are investing R2m to open 60 such beds free to those who have made the serious choice for rehabilitation.
Stikland will respond to the need for opiate detoxification, initially availing 10 beds but able to shift to 20 if needed. I believe the fight against Substance abuse is on. It is taking shape. It is being funded. All departments are playing their role. It is a long haul, but in the spirit of 1976, we believe we will win.
All media enquiries should be directed to Shado Twala on 083 640 6771
