South Africa is under siege by illicit drug traffickers, with the high rate of substance abuse impacting the well-being of the population, the economy, and on the general outlook of the country.
Organisations fighting to keep the streets clean have criticised a perceived less than effective legal system.
According to the law, anyone found in possession of dependence-producing drugs is subject to a fine set by the court, or imprisonment, or both.
Lawyers Simon Dippenaar and Associates say that anyone found in possession of dangerous dependence-producing drugs such as cocaine can be jailed for up to 15 years.
“You may think possession means having the drugs on your person. However, that is not how the law sees it.”
The Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act of 1992 says, in part: “If in the prosecution of any person for an offence under this act it is proved that any drug was found in the immediate vicinity of the accused, it shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved, that the accused was found in possession of such drug.”
Substances in your home or car were deemed “to be in your possession”.
Illicit drugs are all over and access to them easy.
The UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention said South Africa’s geographical location and its international trade links with, among other countries in Asia, Latin America, Western Europe and North America had made it an attractive drug transit country.
It said substance use and illicit drug use had escalated in the 1990s, especially around 1994, when the country’s socio-economic and political isolation ended. “The relaxation of strict control of land, air and sea borders, along with the enhancement of international trade and commerce triggered the increase in drug trafficking.”
The country’s roads and rail, telecommunication, airports, and seaports infrastructure, the international group said, was used to transport illicit drugs, like cocaine and heroin, to dealers.
The Department of Social Development and the Central Drug Authority are holding a summit from Tuesday to Thursday, under the theme: “Towards sustainable, co-ordinated and impactful strategies for national drug and substance use in South Africa”.
To be held in Boksburg, participants will attend capacity building sessions on collaborative and co-ordinated evidence-based and sustainable socio-economic interventions.
Experts and government officials said this third national summit will hear lived experiences of affected people from across the country, among them former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates player, Junaid Hartley, a recovered substance user.
Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu and her deputy, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, and the chairperson of the Central Drug Authority, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, will listen as participants deliberate on topics including drug demand reduction, drug supply reduction, and access to medicines.
Governance, accountability and leadership, research development, monitoring and evaluation, and economic development, key themes of the summit, will also be discussed.
Pretoria News
ntando.makhubu@inl.co.za