Pubdate: Thu, 03 Jun 2004
Source: Business Day (South Africa)
Copyright: 2004 Business Day.
Contact:  http://www.bday.co.za/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2925

DRUG DEALERS TARGET PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Drug dealers are now targeting KwaZulu-Natal primary school children, a
Durban police spokesman said on Thursday.

"The selling of drugs at schools is a big concern, but what is even a bigger
concern is that drug pushers are now targeting primary school pupils," said
Superintendent Willie Louw, the commander of Operation West, a team that
investigates West African drug syndicates.

He said police had raided several schools in the past and conducted
searches, but it was very difficult to arrest any pupils with drugs in their
possession.

The raids, Louw added, were done at the request of school principals.

He said the mainly Nigerian drug lords recruited runners to infiltrate the
schools.

"It's not only in Durban but in the whole of the province. There isn't a
school they do not target."

Provincial education department spokesman Mandla Msibi said while there were
certain schools where drugs were an issue, especially those in urban areas,
on the whole there was no big problem that they were aware of.

He said the department had recently compiled a list of schools where drugs,
among other things such as security and teaching standards, were a problem
and needed to be addressed.

Louw said teachers and especially parents needed to be alerted to the
problem.

"It all starts at home. Parents need to give love and discipline at home."

It was not only at schools that pushers were selling drugs to pupils, but
after hours and at parties, he said.

Louw cited an example of a nine-year-old Durban girl who was presently
receiving treatment for a heroin problem.

He said that during a recent raid they found girls, as young as 12, involved
in sex orgies with older men because they needed to feed their drug habits.

School children were using all types of drugs, but Ecstasy was probably the
biggest seller.

"Drug lords have reduced the price of drugs to make them more affordable to
pupils," he said.

Crack cocaine sold from between R80 to R100, Mandrax from R30 to R100 and
Ecstasy from R50 to R100, "which is very affordable for school children".

Dr A Jeewa, director of Minds Alive Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Centre
in Westville, said there had been a definite increase in the number of
school children using drugs.

In the past two months he had treated four 14-year-old boys who were
addicted to dagga, rohypenol and cocaine.

"It's a fashionable thing and peer pressure. A child will start using drugs
to fit in," he said.

Jeewa, who conducted drug awareness programmes at schools nationwide,
believed random testing was the only way to beat the problem.

Last year he was approached by a Durban private school which had a serious
drug problem and was asked to help. He did tests at the school twice and
since then the problem had decreased substantially.

Jeewa said he had advised other schools to introduce random testing, but
this had not yet happened.

"Generally, there's an apathy on the part of principals. They are afraid of
what the parents will do."

A 15-year-old pupil undergoing in-treatment at a Durban rehabilitation
centre said he was introduced to dagga and rohypenol by friends at school.

"Most pupils at my school are using drugs," said the teenager.

He said he started using drugs about 18 months ago because everyone was
doing it and he wanted to fit in.

The boy said he used drugs during and after school hours.
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