Former nyaope addict, Mr Thabo Nkosi, from Soshanguve Block BB, Started a Non-Profit Organization, Positive Peer Culture (PPC) to help drug addicts in Soshanguve and surrounding areas.
The NPO provides activities such as counseling and skills development in welding and bricklaying with the assistance of the South African National Cancer Association (SANCA) and Godisang Skills Development Center.
Mr Nkosi said he started using nyaope after he completed his matric and it was hard for him to stop or resist using drugs.
“I was addicted for a very long time after tasting nyaope, and just like that, I became an addict. I went to study at Cape College and when I return in 2004 all my friends living on the same street were already addicted.
“I fell right into the circle and nyaope started controlling my life. I lost myself while nyaope took charge, I started stealing, housebreaking, robbing people to feed my addiction and ended up in prison several times for shoplifting,” Mr Nkosi said.
The initiative to start an NPO came when he was with a friend at a rehabilitation centre and they realized the negative impact of nyaope on their lives.
“We came up with an idea that when we get out of rehab, we will help others to help so we formed the ‘Positive Peer Culture’ with a program that we named Drop a Drug at Mabopane Station.
“With this project, we are assisting addicts on Tuesdays with medical reports at the clinic and then take them to the social development, SANCA and other NPO’s who already have qualified social workers to help them stop using drugs,” he said.
He said the Godisang Skills Development Center at Block SS complements all this work by providing skills development to equip recovering addicts with skills.
He encouraged parents whose children are addicted to have the courage and believe that they can be helped.
“We have to be united in fighting this scourge because the drug user are not necessarily bad people, they just took a wrong turn and they can be helped,” Mr Nkosi said.