Vhathu Phanda Community Forum chairperson Thabo Mashabela
Youth of Mamelodi township like other young people in the cities of South Africa are faced with high levels of unemployment, crime, drugs, and high living costs.
According to statistics, relapse rates have been found to be high both nationally and internationally. Considering South African statistics, in 2013, 22% of admissions into treatment centers were re-admissions. The problem of relapse is undoubtedly one of the most important challenges facing the field of addictions. This is because some acts cannot be avoided when stripped of choices. For example, in the absence of material and psychological and social support at the time of their release, offenders may have a very difficult time breaking the circle of release and re-arrest. The same goes for drug users. They will find it hard to break the circle of relapse if they are not provided with choices, if they’re no economic opportunities and if they go back to the same condition that have driven them to drug dependency in the first place.
the problem of the youth of Mamelodi lies with the government. There’s a great failure of the state in addressing some of the fundamental issues that cause people to become dependent on social ills such as crime and drug addiction. In my own opinion Government have responsibility to provide an environment that treasures every individual life, which provides each person with freedom of choice, which gives everyone the opportunity to find meaning in life. Therefore, a community-oriented approach that takes into consideration all the fundamental issues that cause people to become dependent on drugs is the solution and welcome development in addressing some of these social problems. The perfect example of this in Mamelodi is an NPO called Thandanani Drop Inn Centre in Mamelodi SNS that managed not only to rehabilitate drug addicts and the homeless but they have also succeeded in changing the conditions by providing youth and drug users with choices through job opportunities.
In the absence of government intervation, we need to create solutions in communities instead of outside of communities. We need to be like Thandanani let’s provide them with choices, give them opportunities lastly help them lead in the development of their challenges