Speech by the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman
Patricia de Lille on the occasion of the launch of the
Don’t Start, Be Smart, Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
If you look at the official Republic of South Africa diary for 2012 and turn
to today, Tuesday, 26th June, you’ll find the following inspirational
passage:
“The great art of giving consists in this: The gift should cost very little and
yet be greatly coveted, so that it may more highly be appreciated.”
This quote, ascribed to Baltasar Gracian, the 17th century Spanish
philosopher and Jesuit scholar, sums up why we are here today. We are
here because the City of Cape Town, as part of a gift of a better life for
our youth, is announcing a revamped campaign to take drugs and drug
lords out of circulation.
Our strategy will have a soft, as well as a hard edge.
The soft, caring side is built around our slogan: Don’t Start Be Smart
Drug Free is the Way to Be.
The slogan, which is being broadcast across the city's community radio
stations and carried in newspaper advertisements, is not the only element
in this caring approach.
We are also giving our youth who have fallen into drug abuse, a gift of
drug treatment at one of our rehabilitation centres.
Those who want treatment should call 0800 435 748. This line is open
24/7. One phone call can change your life.
Teenagers seeking help can also go directly to one of our four Out-Patient
Alcohol and Drug Treatments centres situated in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain,
Table View, Delft South and Khayelitsha.
We envisage that these centres will be on the frontline because the
biggest danger for those coming off drugs is falling back into their old
habits after treatment. Aftercare or outpatient care is essential. We will
also campaign to get families involved in treatment.
The tough part of our campaign is directed at drug lords and merchants.
The General Assembly of the United Nations resolved on 7 December
1987 to declare today International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking. This was done to wed the UN to the goal of an international
drug-free society. We are committed to this goal, which is why we’re
making this announcement today.
We are serious about saving our youth. We are telling these merchants of
destruction that their time is up. We are going to urge the City’s drug unit
to redouble their efforts to identify and act resolutely against those
involved in the drug trade. Legislation prevents us from doing this on our
own.
So we will work closer with the South African Police Services. I have
begun talking to the Western Cape Commissioner of Police, General
Arnold Lamour, and am confident that we can count on his cooperation
and support.
But we cannot do this on our own. This fight cannot be won if it is to be
fought by local government alone. We are urging affected communities to
join us in this war. We urge communities to abandon the belief that
dealing in drugs is a legitimate business activity and that drug merchants
and their cohorts are welcome to live side-by-side with law abiding
citizens. This is wrong. Tolerating the presence of people involved in these
nefarious activities is akin to setting your children off on a road of
substance abuse.
We should not underestimate the destruction drugs are inflicting on our
communities. I need not remind you of the cases in which parents have
been charged with killing their drug-addicted children. I need not repeat
anecdotes of children assaulting their parents. I need not talk of so many
young lives destroyed. There is a man-made disaster out there.
A look at the Medical Research Council Survey on Substance Use, Risk
Behaviour and Mental Health among Grade 8 & 9 leaners at Western Cape
Schools shows just how serious the situation is. We must act now.
We urge our residents to break their silence and inform us about drug
peddlers. We need your help. We can’t do it on our own.
As we speak this message is being spread across the City. We want our
message to be loud and clear: Cape Town is giving treatment for young
drug addicts, serving notice that the war on drugs is not a phony one, and
calling on residents to take a stand.
Another part of our message is that we’ve begun to consolidate the
squeeze on drug lords. Previously different spheres of government did not
join hand in this their common fight. We will eliminate this type of
scattered approach. The province and the city will work together in Cape
Town.