On a Wednesday afternoon in Botshabelo’s H section in the Free State, Teboho Montwedi* takes a long drag of his cigarette as he watches learners from a nearby school milling about.
Montwedi hasn’t been in school for six years. The 24-year-old dropped out of high school in 2019 when he was in Grade 10.
“My aunt was hard on me about it and my life became difficult. I hated maths, I hated Afrikaans, I hated my class teacher.”
According to Statistics South Africa, only 52,1% of adults older than 20 have completed matric, around 5% of men who didn’t finish high school had no interest in education. Not completing high school makes it impossible to attain further education and significantly reduces a person’s chances to finding meaningful – if any – work. Over 46% of young people between 15 and 34 are currently unemployed.
Having lost his parents at a young age, Montwedi was raised by his father’s sister. But he left home soon after quitting school. At this stage he was smoking cannabis every day, a habit he picked up when he was 15. Soon he was introduced to harder drugs.
“My friends brought KET (ketamine) around one day. That was the first time I put powder in my nose,” he recalls, taking a last puff of his cigarette. He drops the bud on the ground before flattening it under his torn sneakers.
Montwedi tried the drug several times before he experienced the euphoria his friends described. But once he experienced it, he was hooked. He slowly added methamphetamine (meth or tik) to the list of substances he uses.
“Meth makes me vigilant. It supports my hustle. I can get lots of energy,” he says.
Montwedi spends his days at the local mall working as a self-appointed porter for shoppers, and occasionally a car guard.
“I help to carry people’s groceries from the mall entrance to their cars or taxis. They give me however much they can and sometimes nothing at all.”
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But handouts aren’t enough to maintain a drug habit. Montwedi confesses that drug dependency forced him into a life of crime and gangsterism.
“On days where I don’t get money, I’m forced to steal. There’s always a house where I may have worked in the garden before. When I’m desperate for money I think back to any households where I have seen anything worth selling. I go and steal it.”
Drivers of drug abuse
Montwedi is not an outlier, his circle of buddies is made up of young men in the throes of drug addiction.
“A lot of young people use substances because they were curious, they wanted to experiment or they were influenced by their peers,” Rethabile Lenkoe, Programmes Manager at Aurora Addiction Recovery Centre in Bloemfontein tells Health-e News.
“As the manager of our Youth Centre (caters for children under the age of 18 years, who have substance use disorder) I have also observed that many young people gravitate towards the use of substances because they lack life skills. They are unable to deal with or cope with stressors, act assertively around their peers or even enforce boundaries.”
While factors such as unresolved trauma, grief, family, work or relationship stress contribute to drug use, Lenkoe warns not to overlook the environment people live in.
“A lot of these substances are also easily accessible and many individuals may use by default. Take for example, in communities that lack recreational activities or facilities, the use of alcohol becomes a form of entertainment and ‘stress reliever’,” she says.
Sipho Nthola*, like many boys in his community, experimented with recreational drug use in his mid-teens. He got acquainted with Montwedi after dropping out of a TVET college in Bloemfontein.
“I’m not a criminal. I stay with my mom, and all was well all my life until I had that drop-out situation,” he tells Health-e News.
“Sobriety is a nightmare because it constantly brings about the thoughts of a doomed future for me. I use any drug I can afford at a given time, although meth and mandrax are my favourites.”
The 24-year-old is unemployed and receives the R370 Social Relief of Distress Grant – money he uses to finance his habit. He considers himself lucky that he doesn’t have to commit crimes to get a fix.
“Although the grant is hardly enough to afford me the drugs for a whole month, it at least puts me at ease for a day or two after the pay dates.”
An electronics enthusiast, Nthola supplements his income by repairing and maintaining small appliances in the neighbourhood.
“When I’m high I get to block the intrusive thoughts of helplessness and focus on getting my life together. My dream is to take my electronics passion further and run a local shop to help the community because repairs of electronics can be expensive and generally unaffordable.”
Drug use is increasing
Lenkoe explains that substance use is a national problem. Recent research suggests that drug use among South Africans older than 15 increased from 1.5% in 2002 to 10% in 2017. But the true scale of the problem is difficult to quantify.
“The statistics are often focused on data received from people who are admitted into formal treatment facilities. However, in all provinces, there is a whole population of substance users not in treatment who are not included in the stats,” she explains.
“Both rural and suburban areas are challenged with the use of substances. In more rural areas, individuals are likely to use alcohol and dagga, nyaope and crystal meth which are easily accessible and cheap,” says Lenkoe. “In the suburbs, individuals are likely to use not just alcohol and dagga but cocaine also which is more expensive. Youth may also engage in the use of vapes and hookah pipes which are considered harmless and they are socially acceptable.”
A drug dealer in Botshabelo’s Industrial Park, one of the township’s business hubs, tells Health-e News that he sells a gram of meth for R5O. He says most of his clients are young men who’ve visibly given up on at least trying to stay clean.
This certainly is true for Montwedi who says: “I don’t trust that rehab will work because most of the guys who have been admitted come out to continue using. I think when the time arrives, I will push myself to stop.”
Lenkoe says there are a very few substance abuse treatment centres in the Free State, especially ones with multi-professional teams.
“This means that people are often stuck and frustrated because they are unable to get the assistance that they need. Information regarding the services that are available is also not always known. Family and friends may not be aware that their loved one using substances can come for consultation sessions, be admitted only for detox, or be part of an outpatient.”
The cost of rehab is another challenge to getting the help people need. This is why, she argues it’s important to invest in prevention.
“Prevention as a science is often misunderstood by individuals and organisations that facilitate awareness campaigns and prevention programmes. Prevention services/programmes need to be research and evidence-based,” says Lenkoe. “Even with all the information available on the internet, a lack of information, and understanding the dynamics of addictions are gaps that still exist in the pursuit of fighting this challenge.” – Health-e News
*Not their real names
