Govt responds to Eldorado Park drug problem

"The resultant partnership between government and the community will ensure that together we develop the community and stop the rot of substance abuse," acting Cabinet spokesperson Phumla Williams said on Thursday, 16 May 2013.

Cabinet also welcomed President Jacob Zuma's speedy response to the emotional letter by a concerned mother and member of Eldorado Park community, Dereleen James, who pleaded with the president to intervene in the escalating drug supply and abuse problem in the area.

The community raised concern about how some police officers turned a blind eye to the drug lords and how children as young as eight years were hooked on drugs.

After hearing the testimonies of community members on Tuesday, President Zuma, who was accompanied by several Cabinet ministers, acknowledged the seriousness and magnitude of the drug problem in Eldorado Park, and conceded that the problem required urgent and swift action from the government.

"It is disheartening to hear that part of the problem here is our own law enforcement officers - the very same people that are tasked with protecting the community," said Zuma, who committed to drive the programme against drug abuse.

A task team has been set up to deal with the drug problem in Eldorado Park. The Gauteng provincial government announced on Wednesday that the team, which will comprise the relevant stakeholders, will table possible solutions for the problem.

"Among some of the things the task team will consider are safe homes for some of the addicts," Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane's office said on Wednesday.

Mokonyane, who accompanied the president during his visit to Eldorado Park, committed the province to helping James get her son into a rehabilitation centre.

"We cannot allow drugs to dominate our lives, homes and communities anymore. We refuse to watch our children's future being destroyed by drugs. We need to work together to fight and rid our communities of this unscrupulous epidemic," said the premier.