According to the latest figures from the South African Police Service (SAPS), by the time they reach matric, three out of four scholars today will have experimented with drugs.
The most recent effort from government to stop the drug and alcohol pandemic, is the circulation of an official notice declaring all public schools drug free and dangerous object-free zones. Detailing regulations for safety measures at these institutions, the notice also empowers school headmasters to conduct drug searches on pupils and visitors to the schools at their liberty.
In conjunction with this statutory tightening of regulations comes the launch of a self-funded anti-drug programme by Top Security, a company which has its senior management committed to fighting the crime that results from drug usage.
Top Security COO, Danie Bantjes, says that substance abuse has been identified by experts as one of the primary contributors to violence, intimidation and a general lack of discipline in South African schools over recent years. Reports that school grounds are increasingly becoming drug trade zones are also intensifying, he adds.
Bantjes believes that substance abuse is one of the main roots of criminal activity. "Children become involved in crime in order to obtain money for drugs," he says. "A security company's job is to fight crime at all levels and Top Security has decided to become meaningfully involved in the communities we serve by launching a drug awareness campaign that will address this national crisis. Our children are our country's future and for every child who says no to drugs, the end result will be one less criminal."
For Bantjes and his team, the logical first step to preventing drug abuse is to create community awareness. Accordingly, in an effort to address the problem of unacceptable high levels of drug abuse, violence and crime in schools, the company hosted an educational breakfast event at the Southern Sun Grayston Hotel on 14 February. The event was designed as a platform for school governing bodies, parents and students to learn about and discuss the effects of drugs and alcohol abuse and how to combat the problem. Guest speaker at the event was Melinda Ferguson, author of the bestseller, ‘Smacked’, which details her harrowing story of addiction and survival. Delegates heard first-hand about her journey into the underworld of drug abuse and her struggle to beat her addiction.
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.
printer friendly version