Pubdate: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 Source: Cape Argus (South Africa) Copyright: 2004 Cape Argus. Contact: http://capeargus.co.za/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2939 Author: Bulelani Phillip BATTLING DRUGS FROM OPPOSITE SIDES Residents living in suburbs often find fault with having informal settlements so close to their homes, but they could be sharing a common problem with their makeshift neighbours. A tour through the greater Strandfontein community recently showed ratepaying residents and those in informal settlements are both affected by the drug trade. Strandfontein is situated on the False Bay side of the Peninsula and is adjacent to the Strandfontein beach. It lies on the borders of Mitchell's Plain and Brown's Farm in Philippi, while Pelican Heights is its neighbour to the west. According to Strandfontein Police Commissioner Captain June Cilliers, it's precisely the community's location that has played a large role in the drug problems. "The people who are selling these drugs are people who are not from the area but from our neighbouring communities such as Mitchell's Plain and Steenberg. They are using our youngsters to push these drugs," Cilliers said. "They come here when drug operations are intensified in their areas, but we've started working together with other police units to curb this." Strandfontein is divided into four suburbs: San Remo, Bayview, Strandfontein Central and Wavecrest. Even these suburbs, home to middle-class people, each have at least one drug-dealing "hotspot". Police named them as Frigate Road and Marlin Crescent in Wavecrest, Trafalgar Road in Strandfontein Central and Matussi Drive in Bayview. But these are not the only problem areas. The three informal settlements - Masincendane, City Mission and Opermansoord - that have mushroomed in Strandfontein in recent years, have also been associated with drug dealing. One resident from the suburb, who did not want to be named, said: "You can see it happen in our neighbourhoods at night. People go into the bushes and when they come back they are not the same - it's like they are in a world of their own and this is when you realise the effect of drugs on our community as a result of these informal settlements." But residents at the informal settlement denied that they were a source for drugs. Masincedane community leader, Sarie Booi, acknowledged that there had been a lot of drug dealers in the settlement in the past, but said the problem had since been stabilised. "We have a lady that sells dagga here and that is a big problem in our community because we don't want our children to use drugs. We wanted to remove her, but she has a little child and we thought she would have nowhere else to go," he said. Apart from drugs, both communities face other hurdles. In the suburbs, the need for sports facilities, a recreational infrastructure and a community centre is very apparent, but despite numerous requests to the City of Cape Town, little has come their way. The community has a basketball court and netball field, but residents say additional facilities could go a long way to helping keep young people off the streets. City councillor for the area, Jeanne Heradien, said: "We have put in requests (to the city council) because Strandfontein is not really getting the services it needs. I think that by asking council, they will have to give it to us sometime." She also said sports facilities could assist the community in reversing a "way of life" amongst the youth that was associated with drugs. In the informal settlements, area lighting and healthcare are major concerns. Although they had just been provided with toilet facilities and waterpipes by the City of Cape Town, the residents complained of their dire need of electricity. They said the use of candles had resulted in a number of shack fires. Community leaders were also concerned about the increase in the number of people who were contracting tuberculosis (TB). "People are getting TB because it is cold here and our houses were flooded by the rain," said Booi. "There may be many more people who have TB but have not been tested. Then there are others who leave their fires burning during the night because it is cold, and this causes (shack) fires," he said, adding: "Just the other day a woman was burnt because of this." Most of the residents in the suburbs are employed by the South African Navy or the City of Cape Town , and those who are unemployed have benefited from training programmes initiated by community organisations. Staff at the local police station have also trained volunteers as counsellors and peer educators, who focus on anti-drug awareness campaigns in schools, counselling for domestic violence survivors and social welfare programmes designed to uplift the area's less fortunate residents. "The people who commit crime in this area are the same people that don't take part in our campaigns," said Achmat Karim, chairman of the Strandfontein Community Policing Forum. "They are the people who want employment to come to them, instead of them going to look for employment," said Karim. "This causes a problem because they get involved in drugs and to do drugs you need money. So that is why the only crimes you find here are things like house break-ins and car thefts." But some young people had found alternative ways of staying off the streets, with many keeping themselves busy on the nearby beach. Nico Pienaar finds his way to the Strandfontein Beach every afternoon to go surfing with friends. When asked about the drug problem in the community, he replied with a smile, "Here is my drug", pointing to his surfboard. He said he found the sport stimulating and intended competing at an international level. "I think young people should stop making excuses and start living without using drugs," he said. "If I can do it then everyone else can." Cilliers urged the greater Strandfontein community to stop passing the buck in terms of where the area's drug problem originated and should rather start fighting the problem "head-on". "The people who are living in the informal settlement should be accepted by other residents, because most of them (in the suburbs) don't know why those people are living there. "They need to be assisted and that will unveil their potential. They will then be an advantage to the community rather than a disadvantage," she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin