Substance abuse in South Africa

It’s time we stop pointing fingers at government

By Madibeng Kgwete: posted on 22 August 2007

Commenting on a radio talk show the other day regarding causes of road rage in South Africa, a caller blamed government for not deploying enough policemen on the roads. Road rage, the caller argued, would be avoided if government committed more resources to ensuring visible policing on the roads.

Fairly speaking, government has a constitutional responsibility to ensure the safety of citizens. However, much of the discourse relating to road carnage, crime and substance abuse neglects mention of citizens’ responsibilities. Now, research has revealed not only the extend of substance abuse amongst South Africans, but it has also highlighted the high costs of such abuse.

The World Drug Report of 2006 puts the number of “problem drug users” in South Africa at more than 200 000. A 1998 report by the Medical Research Council noted that South Africans consume “well over five billion litres of alcoholic beverage per year”.

The Minister of Social Development, Dr. Zola Skweyiya, has recently estimated that alcohol abuse is a factor in nearly half of road crashes. This, according to Skweyiya, results in a cost to the country of around 7 000 lives annually.

The alarming figures of substance abuse beg for a nationwide introspection, an analysis of the high rate of crime in South Africa in relation to substance abuse and the overall moral degradation in our society. More importantly, the alarming figures call for action from government, non-governmental organisations, religious organisations and individuals.

With regard to the role of individuals in combating drug and alcohol abuse, Dr. Skweyiya put it correctly thus: “The abuse of drugs and alcohol is influenced by the degree of tolerance by citizens in a particular country. The promotion of the perception, for example, that the use of dagga is not harmful, or that excessive or binge drinking is acceptable behaviour over weekends, undermines all efforts of combating this scourge”.

Apart from urging individuals to behave more responsibly in relation to the use of substances, government has drafted a new bill called the Prevention of and Treatment of Substance Abuse Bill this month, August. The Bill, once passed into a law, will replace the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act of 1992.

However little government is doing to prevent and combat substance abuse, much of the blame and responsibility should be put right on the door of individuals, for they (and not government) are the ones who initiate the abuse. Government will not succeed in lowering the high crime rate if our society continues to tolerate substance abuse.