Pubdate: Fri, 07 Jan 2005
Source: New Era (Namibia)
Copyright: New Era 2005
Contact:  http://www.newera.com.na/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3380

BLACK DRUG USE ON THE RISE

THE use of hard drugs is on the increase in especially the former
black suburbs of Windhoek.

Parents in some parts of Katutura and Khomasdal have witnessed their
children increasingly being caught up in the web of hard drugs such as
cocaine, heroine and crack cocaine.

A parent living in one of Katutura's suburbs recently caught her son
red-handedly using drugs.

The startled mother, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing
possible repercussions against her son, said her son did not even
bother hiding what he was doing and continued to inject his arm with a
needle thrust with cocaine.

Meme Aina (not her real name) is just one of the many worried
mothers.

A week ago, a young woman engaged to be wed, saw her dreams shattered
into pieces through the taste of cocaine or rather "kafufu", as it is
locally called.

Apparently the young woman lost control and stripped naked in public,
bringing shame not only to herself but also to those who dearly love
her, New Era learnt reliably.

According to the source, "kafufu" has become a commonly used substance
in Katutura and other outlying suburbs. "Even kids are using it. They
like to do this at night at bus stops and also at shebeens. Some of
them do it in public when they are high. Nobody cares anymore," he
stated.

A flashy bar in Katutura, known to be a well-known hangout for drug
dealers, is said to be the main place where "kafufu" is used. This is
also the place where the young lady apparently stripped naked. Women
are known to overdose themselves there.

According to the source, one of the three women is a girlfriend of the
main drug dealer, a young man who is in his early thirties.

New Era also learnt reliably that the drug dealer for fear of police
arrest bribed a Windhoek doctor to treat his girlfriend and it is also
to this doctor where all his clients are going for treatment,
especially when they overdose.

This bar is also believed to be a popular place where regular drug
users hang out, most of them very well off .

"At this bar, they talk openly about kafufu. They use the word kafufu
so that no one knows what they are talking about. They even talk how
their girlfriends almost overdosed the previous day," he added.

The source said cocaine, although very expensive, has become very
common and is shared mostly at shebeens. "It is not safe to accept a
drink from someone, because you don't know what the person has put in
it. Some of them, when they fancy a girl, put it in her drink so that
they can take her to bed," he said.

The source said this was how people become addicted to
cocaine.

They take the stuff in their drinks without knowing and the following
day, they start longing for the same drink. The only way to get it is
to go to the person who offered it.

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug that delivers an
intensity of pleasure beyond the bounds of normal human experience.

The powdered, hydrochloride salt form of cocaine can be snorted or
dissolved in water and injected. Crack is cocaine that has not been
neutralized by an acid to make the hydrochloride salt. This form of
cocaine comes in a rock crystal that can be heated and its vapours
smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when it
is heated.

It is alleged that those dealing in drugs also share it with their
women to make them more active in bed. Police comment could not be
obtained at the time of going to press.
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MAP posted-by: Derek