Are you choosing jail time, or bright future? That was the main theme and message directed to the pupils of Sinolwazi High School at the Chris Hani township in Mthatha on Monday.
As the country observes June as youth month, in commemoration of the June 16, 1976, Soweto students’ massacre, the youth of today were facing different challenges, and drug-dealing and addiction was among them. This scourge compelled the South African Police Service (SAPS) and security company Tyeks Security Services to form a partnership and launch an awareness campaign against drug-dealing and using.
Attended by over 1500 pupils, mainly matriculants, the event was intended to remind the youth about the long-term repercussions of drugs, in such as hindering their academic and career aspects.
Tyeks Security Services spokesman Siyabonga Ngcangisa said the theme of the campaign was more than just about drugs being a security risk, but also as a threat to the future of the country.
“Many people don’t know that a certain portion that makes up youth unemployment in South Africa has to do with some of them having criminal records. When you have a criminal record, you become unemployable, same as when you drop out of school. We needed to make this formation public knowledge as a matter of urgency,” said Ngcangisa.
Principal Isaac Labane admitted that as the school’s teachers, they were facing a losing battle, and pleaded with community leaders to assist the youth fight against drug abuse.
“They do all these drug-related activities during break time and the police have assisted us they best they could. These habits cause a lot of academic distractions and communities at large should also jump in and assist,” he said.
Sinolwazi is among the schools touted by the Mthatha SAPS as notoriously drug-troubled, after the police discovered various illegal substances during several random drug searches.
Warrant Officer William Bhebheza of the Mthatha Central Police Station urged the youth of today to follow the footsteps of their drug-free and academically interested elders and see them as role models.
“You’ve got good role models around you, but you choose not to see that and instead you want to go your own direction. This is youth month, your month, and that means you should love yourself and respect your future. I don’t like what I usually discover each time I come to this school,” said Bhebheza.
Anthony du Plessis, a former drug addict who managed to quit the habit and later became the head of Dog Unit at Tyeks Security, reflected on his previous life of drugs, and warned the pupils against seeing drug experimenting as a fancy lifestyle.
Part of his job, ironically, entails conducting drug searches using sniffer dogs, which he trains himself.
“I kept saying I was not addicted and that I didn’t need help, but reality was that I was being wasted. I lost many things, you know, saw many of my friends dying in front of me from drug addiction. Sometimes I would even vomit blood, but I thank God for my mother’s prayers, that’s what saved me”.
OR Tambo District Police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyholo has urged communities to assist the police in ridding drug syndicates.
“These kids are being used by drug syndicates who ask them to bring the stuff to the school grounds. It causes chaos and leads them to drop out of school and end up in jail, which is detrimental to the future of our country”.
The National Youth Risk Behaviour Survey, conducted at High Schools in South Africa, has found that almost 50% of pupils between Grade 8 and 11 have used alcohol in their lifetime, while 13% opted for cannabis.
