By Charmaine Ndlela
The Gauteng provincial government has said it is intensifying its fight against drug abuse with the upcoming launch of the Tswa Daar: Phuma Lapho Anti-Substance Abuse Campaign, aimed at bringing treatment and rehabilitation directly to communities.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi announced on Wednesday that preparations are complete for the campaign’s official launch on 27 October.
The event will take place simultaneously at various venues, including the Orlando Community Wall, Tsakani Stadium, George Thabe Stadium, and the Orange Farm Sports Ground.
In his State-of-the-Province Address, Lesufi said the fight against drugs was a top priority. During Heritage Day celebrations in September, he said that 115 substance abuse support centres would be opened across the province.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), methamphetamine use accounts for 24% of readmissions in drug treatment facilities in Gauteng, with cases increasing since 2023.
UNODC also raised concern about rising substance abuse in the country as a whole, particularly among youth, women, and people in low-income communities. In the first half of 2024 alone, 8 959 people with substance use disorders were admitted to 79 treatment facilities across the country, UNODC said.
Lesufi urged communities to join the fight against substance abuse, saying: “[I]f you have a child or know someone that is going through the difficulties of drugs, please bring them to us…Home Affairs, doctors, nurses and lawyers will be present to provide all necessary support needed. We will admit substance users at the relevant rehabilitation centre.”
Services available at the various launch events will include mobile and medical assessment, profiling of substance users for jobs and training opportunities, intake assessments and admissions and registration for skills development opportunities.
“Let’s move away from substances that are stealing our future,” Lesufi said.
The 2025 World Drug Report found that 316 million people worldwide used drugs in 2023, a 28% increase over the past decade. It said that 64 million people are living with drug use disorders. Alarmingly, only one in 18 women with such disorders received treatment that year.
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