By Tswelopele Makoe
THIS year, the United Nations (UN) Office on Drugs & Crime released a report which revealed a spine-chilling inclination in the trafficking of methamphetamine, a drug locally known as “Tik.”
The 2023 World Drug Report showed a persistent upslope in the smuggling of methamphetamine in Africa. South Africa, in particular, is a hotspot for Tik trafficking, alongside Nigeria and Mozambique.
These regions have been identified as possessing the largest average quantity of methamphetamine seized.
Drug use has been pervasive throughout African societies, in varying degrees. The use of drugs is influenced by an array of several factors, and adversely impacts our struggling economy, while rendering our society increasingly vulnerable.
According to the Central Drug Authority, at least 15% of South Africans reportedly have a drug problem. Additionally, the National Institute of Health has found that 41.6% of the sub-Saharan African population are reported to have engaged in “any substance use”.
Furthermore, a new research study by the Institute of Security Studies together with Frederick S Pardee Centre for International Futures reported that the number of drug users in sub-Saharan Arica is predicted to surge by nearly 150% by 2050.
These statistics are not only staggering, but they also speak to an alarming trait of our future society: one that is riddled with drugs and disparity.
Drug use, although commonly found in modern societies, is not an isolated challenge. It is an intersectional issue that results from certain challenges, whilst simultaneously feeding into new challenges.
In fact, one would argue that drug use is a reflection of the society in which we live, one that is riddled with obstacles and challenges that remain untackled. Much of our society is engulfed in a myriad of difficulties daily, which oftentimes manifests themselves in the form of drug use.
South Africa has one of the best constitutions in the world, but the most unequal, disproportionate society in the world. Our society, in particular, is marked by socio-economic issues such as the sky-high unemployment rate, our largely poverty-stricken population, our delapidated infrastructure and our inadequate public service access.
Ultimately, the conditions of a nation shape the challenges that the citizens contend with, as well as the outcomes of these challenges, most notably being destructive drug abuse.
Our socio-economic factors have a major impact on the lived realities across our society. Factors such as income, employment, education, social and communal support, all directly impact the type of lives that we lead, the type of access and support that we have – from medical care, housing and mental health care.
In other words, those with access, especially financial access, to these various forms of support, are less likely to engage in drug use or drug trafficking, than those who have no options for or systems of support. Ultimately, drug use often disproportionately affects the underprivileged.
Drug use is not only rendering our society unsafe, unstable, and increasingly vulnerable, but directly disempowers our citizens and our communities.
Drug use may emerge as a result of mental health struggles, stress and traumatic events, poor living conditions, issues of access to adequate educational opportunities, and a lack of employment opportunities. As a result, many disadvantaged and burdened people may turn to crime to feed their drug abuse.
This results in long term legal implications, such as incarcerations, fines, and decade-long probation periods. This also affects the communities in which they reside, which may already be riddled with drug abuse and crime.
The community is further destabilised, schoolchildren are made vulnerable in their own neighbourhoods, community members are robbed or subjected to violence, and other members of the society are consequentially influenced to normalise or partake in drug abuse.
There are also significant health consequences to consider when engaging in drug use, for example, cognitive impairment, cardiovascular diseases, mental health disorders, physical harm and disability and poor decision-making capabilities.
This directly affects those in one’s household and community, those who will need to subsequently care for them, both financially and physically. Furthermore, these consequences will place a heavy burden on our dangerously strained healthcare systems.
Drug use does not devastate the user half as much as it devastates their families and loved ones. Their engagement in theft, violence, and illegal activities leaves the family vulnerable to attacks of retaliation and harm over and above the emotional and psychological turmoil the experience subject their families to.
The families are often the ones left with the financial burden of replacing stolen items, or replacing the money needed for food, healthcare, education, transportation, and emergent situations. The family also often has the burden of providing for rehabilitation costs, injuries and any emergent costs that may arise as a result of living with a drug addict.
These actions and situations may result in an increasingly strained relationship with those in the household and community. It is further compounded by financial difficulties, such as excessive court fees, eviction notices, and unpaid loans.
This ultimately results in the disempowerment of the entire household, where some may not be able to afford food, educate themselves, or access adequate healthcare and housing. These are the domino effects of drugs challenges.
We cannot grapple with the issue of drug abuse in isolation. Although there are a myriad of factors that bring about its proliferation, there are also ways in which our society could function in order to mitigate drug abuse and drug emergence in their communities.
Our society is lacking dire education on the complexities of drug abuse, and the practices of drug traffickers. This should be part of the schooling system from a fundamental educational age. School children across the nation should be educated on drug abuse, drug trafficking, and how to identify delinquents and precarious members of our society.
Furthermore, communities cannot tackle drug abuse and drug traffickers in isolation. When society loses faith in the abilities of the legal system, they oftentimes engage in mob justice, which inevitably leads to chaos, and the fall of the legitimacy of the state.
Drug traffickers often prey on the meek and vulnerable, those that are seeking employment, those that need opportunities to provide for their families and their futures.
I fervently implore our leaders, our law enforcement agencies, and our authorities, to pull up their socks when it comes to dealing with criminality and lawlessness.
This is the least that the taxpayers deserve.
We need to better utilise the national intelligence agencies and law enforcement to highlight and stifle drug trafficking across our nation. An example of this is through the circulation of the United Nations report and the Daily Maverick 168 exclusive report of smugglers trafficking cocaine through the Port of Durban, and the proclivity of smugglers in using maritime routes to target South Africa.
Through collaboration of the law enforcement, intelligence services, and our communities, we can very quickly overturn the emergence of drug abuse and drug trafficking in our communities. This has proven to work before and should be the foundation on which we better our society.
We need to be more vigilant, stricter, and more cognitive of the nefarious activities that take place in our society. It is of the utmost importance that our society heeds this advice.
Drug abuse is not merely an individual’s problem, it is the problem of the whole society – collectively - and we need to begin to address it as such. Our government, our lawmakers, our law enforcement, and intelligence services must collaborate better in order for us to effectively overturn this dire challenge. We must work together in order to better manage our society, and in order to shape a more empowered and collaborative future.
We cannot merely depend on civil institutions and community group chats to combat our ongoing societal challenges. Rehabilitation centres can only do so much. Police departments can only do so much. Individual households can only do so much. We need to educate all of the members of our society and engage in practices that will increase our safety, whilst protecting our personal and collective development.
Yes, drug use oftentimes emerges as a symptom of our societal ailments. Drug abuse can emerge from boredom and a dangerously misled sense of curiosity. One simple introduction can hook you for life.
The challenges that come with drug use are faced over an extensive period of time and can easily turn one’s life into complete turmoil. We need to ensure that our educational systems are emphasizing the widespread disrepute that results from drug abuse and drug trafficking.
We need to ensure that our citizens are educated on the systems of support that can alleviate their mental, financial, emotional, and physical ailments. Ultimately, drug use deters the advancement of not only the individual who engages in it, but also their families, households, jobs, and communities.
* Tswelopele Makoe is a Gender Activist and an MA Ethics student at UWC, affiliated with the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice. The views expressed are her own.