Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - September 9, 2007
Suthentira Govender and Bongani Mthethwa

The recent drug scandal at Simla Primary in Shallcross, when seven children collapsed after taking Ecstasy tablets, has blown the lid on a problem which community activists claim has been kept under wraps by schools that feared being stigmatised.

Simla Primary has now taken the lead in the fight against drugs and other social problems, and the boy at the centre of the Ecstasy scandal faces a possible charge of assault.

Chatsworth police said statements were being taken from children who were involved in the incident.

"A charge of assault is being investigated because the children inadvertently suffered harm when they consumed the drug. The docket will be sent to the senior public prosecutor, who will decide whether to prosecute the boy or not," said Chatsworth police spokesman Captain Edmund Singh.

The incident has prompted anti-drug campaigners, parent bodies and counsellors to extend their fight beyond secondary schools to primary schools.

Community workers say the problem is not confined to children from poor backgrounds.

Among the cases that community workers have dealt with are:

# A nine-year-old girl whose family is addicted to drugs and who prostituted herself to fund her own habit;

# An 11-year-old boy who showed pornography to his friends while his mother, a single parent, was at work. The boy and his friends then indulged in drugs and experimented with sex;

# A Grade 2 pupil whose parents are both alcoholics and who is addicted to cigarettes; and

# Grade 7 pupils who play truant to host house parties and experiment with drugs and sex.

Vanessa Chetty, spokesman for the Local Drug Action Committee (LDAC) and a counsellor for the faith-based Centre Ministries, said she had dealt with numerous cases of primary school children dabbling in drugs.

"It's mainly because drugs are easily accessible to children. The runners deliver the drugs to schools, or the pupils themselves smuggle the drugs into school," she said.

Chetty said an increasing number of children were becoming hooked on Sugars, a lethal cocktail of heroin, cocaine and rat poison.

"The situation is frightening. Although I deal with cases in places as far afield as Umzinto and Richards Bay, Chatsworth seems to be worst hit because the supply of Sugars is constant.

"The smaller kids, at primary school, don't know what they are getting into when they experiment with narcotics. They are hardly capable of making informed decisions. Many of them get caught up in a web and are afraid to expose their problem."

She said children from poor backgrounds were " usually remorseful and want to kick the habit".

"It is the children from affluent homes who come to us with attitudes. They only come to us because somebody forced them to and often relapse about 10 to 15 times, because they have money to feed their addiction."

Chetty said that in view of the increase in social ills in the community, the LDAC had become more aggressive in its anti-drug campaigns and efforts to help dysfunctional families.

"We have been reactive with high school children, but the plan is to be proactive with primary school children, so that they don't carry the problem to high school," she said.

Sam Pillay, who heads the Chatsworth Anti-Drug Forum, said he had already extended his awareness campaigns to primary schools.

"It's not just drugs. There's also the issue of HIV/Aids. The earlier they are informed, the easier it is for them to make informed choices," said Pillay.

Les Govender, a member of the provincial social welfare portfolio committee, said the problem plaguing primary school children was "not only a school problem but should be dealt with on a community level".

"These issues are often downplayed by schools and parents. Drug abuse and underage sex are taking place, but go unreported. Schools are too afraid of the stigma. People need to speak out and expose problems if anything is going to be done about it," he said.

Chatsworth community activist Brandon Pillay said: "Chatsworth only rises when there is a crisis. There needs to be a proactive approach to tackle the problem. Workshops are not the answer. Mentoring and guidance counsellors are needed at schools."

Strini Nair, chairman of Simla Primary's governing body, said he was "happy" about the Ecstasy incident, only because it had exposed the public to the goings-on at the school.

"We have taken the lead in the fight against drugs and will let the other schools follow. The major problem in the community and at schools is the lack of discipline and morals."

Sayed Rajack, chairman of the Phoenix Education Forum, said social problems among primary school pupils were not confined to Chatsworth.

He said Phoenix was also " facing a crisis".

"These drug peddlers are looking for a younger, lucrative market. They are even prepared to target little kids if it will result in a fast buck.

"We have received reports of children as young as eight who are drug addicts. The drugs lead to sexual molestation, underage sex, alcohol abuse and theft."

Meanwhile, Lotus FM's Newsbreak programme will host a discussion on the problems in the Stonebridge Community Hall in Phoenix today. It will be broadcast between noon and 1pm.

"Community leaders have been telling us about drugs and alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancies, gambling and unemployment, which are having an impact on the communities," said Subry Govender, executive producer of Newsbreak.

"If nothing is done, the future is very bleak for young people. Families are disintegrating, and communities must do something to help themselves."

070909
ST070905