As I mentioned in my previous article, the drug epidemic is a global international problem affecting all communities and drug awareness campaigners will unfortunately be fighting a losing battle unless they receive the support of the government and the police force. Whilst speaking to a Pastor who resides in the Florida region; the angry young gentleman mentioned to me that President Zuma's Eldorado Park fiasco was simply a political ploy. Whilst he has shut down the lollipop lounges in that part of Johannesburg, the problem has simply diverted to other areas in the West Rand region, particularly the Florida and Maraisburg suburbs. The police presence in that area is no longer there. It was just a temporary "Hoohaa". The truth about South Africa is that the public have lost faith in the police force. It is a known fact among community members here in Florida that the police themselves are involved with drug syndicates and are an integral part of a drug supply chain. Residents have informed me that many off duty police officers frequent the lollipop lounges in the area.When members of the community report these shady activities to the police, a police vehicle is sent out to these houses where drugs are being sold and the entire premises is raided. The police confiscate the drugs and they in turn resell the drugs to the same people who frequent these lollipop lounges and thus this vicious cycle continues. An activist and an active member of the ICE (In Case of Emergency) committee in the area, captivated me with a few of his shocking experiences. This is what he said," The streets of Florida at night after eleven o'clock changes drastically. The warm, friendly and pleasant ambience we all experience during the day suddenly changes to shades of grey. Shady men gather in the dark alleyways, mostly Nigerian and other foreign nationals. Prostitutes dressed provocatively come out to sell themselves to any man that passes by.Many of these women are from broken homes with nowhere to go and so they have decided to sell themselves in order to earn a living. A few weeks ago, as we were patrolling the neighbourhood, we gave chase to a guy. He was the runner. The middle man between the supplier and the customer. The guy managed to escape. He simply opened up a manhole and ran underground through the sewage and drainage networks and landed up on the other side of Ontdekkers road according to eye witness reports. The Florida community and business owners are trying to join hands to eradicate the crime and drug problem in the area. However, if you have police officers that are corrupt and working in cahoots with the drug lords, the battle and task ahead is a virtually impossible one. One disgruntled business owner made mention of the fact that bribery and corruption within the police force is the order of the day. A staff member of his was badly injured after her face was slashed. The perpetrator told the victim not to go to the police station as he has already bribed the investigating officer. Up until today no case has been filed and the perpetrator is walking the streets scot free. The woman, fearing for her life and safety refuses to pursuit the case any further. In yet another shocking incident, a police officer in the Florida area asked a Zimbabwean to produce her Identification documents. She was here in South Africa illegally and hence could not produce any legitimate paperwork. The policeman than asked her to get into the vehicle for deportation. She was under the impression that she is going to be sent home. However, the policeman drove to a deserted part of town and raped the woman. The woman did not go to the police station to report the rape as she is illegal in the country. The police officers would probably prioritize her illegal status in the country over the rape.
It doesn't help having the media and journalists boasting about how many drug lords and drug users have been apprehended. The bottom line is this: If the country does not have proper law enforcement policies in place, no strategy or awareness program can be a success. I don't care how many thousand drug peddlers get caught every day. What I am concerned about is, how many of these peddlers have been convicted? Why isn't there harsher sentences brought against them? In South Africa, bail is granted to murderers, rapists and drug traffickers. Where is the justice? As one Florida resident quite aptly mentioned. "It is about time that the government works for the people, not the other way round. We have put ZUMA into office and he should be working for us to better the lives of South Africans. He should not be at the top to soak in taxpayers money in order to facilitate his own lavish lifestyle but rather he should act as a leader who is concerned about his citizens. Safety and security should be at the top of his list. Thus far he has failed the people miserably. I pray that he sees the light and takes some kind of action to tighten the laws in this country. If the situation worsens, I then pray that he should be removed from office."
