INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

From left, are Venetia Orgill, Bridget van Ballo and Ellen Pakkies and in the back row Yvonne Hendricks and Erica Samson, all mothers who had or have children addicted to drugs. Picture: Cindy Waxa

Harrowing accounts of mothers with knives in their hands ready to kill their drug addict children, another cutting a noose off a child’s neck hoping to revive him, were some of the real-life stories that emerged at a meeting in Mitchell’s Plain on Sunday.

A Tribute Day in honour of children who had died of drugs was arranged by Venetia Orgill, a mother who lost her drug addict son three years ago.

Orgill is working with Ellen Pakkies, who became known for strangling her tik addict son, Abie, to death in 2007.

They are working with scores of mothers battling with their drug addict children and arranged the event to remember children who lost their lives to drugs and encourage other mothers not to lose hope.

Testimonies from former drug addicts moved the crowd as they spoke about their lowest days and how they changed their lives for the better.

But when the horror of some mothers’ lives was revealed, the meeting turned emotional with one mother breaking down in tears - just hours after she had a knife in her hand, ready to kill her son.

Bridget van Ballo’s son is only 18, but has been a drug addict for seven years.

Her son, a gangster, uses drugs with other gangsters in her house. Van Ballo has been told by her son: “I need to kill you, so we can use your house.”

Shaking and crying, Van Ballo told the Cape Times: “I am angry, today is a bad day for me. I haven’t slept, I am plotting ways to kill him. I don’t have any hope. I am going to do something to that child.”

On Sunday morning Orgill found Van Ballo in her house with two knives in her hand, aiming for her son. This was the second time this week she intervened in that situation at Van Ballo’s home. Over 200 people attended at the meeting at St Mary Magdalene’s Catholic Church in Lentegeur, among them Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Erenreich and ANC Western Cape chairman, Marius Fransman.

Orgill lost her only son, Troy, three years ago when he committed suicide because of his drug addiction.

She said: “One day he told me he loved me and an hour later I was cutting a rope from his neck trying to breathe life into him.”

Orgill called up Erica Samson, who has four out of five sons addicted to drugs, as well as former deputy mayor, Charlotte Williams who has been battling with her son’s tik addiction for years.

Orgill said: “I am tired of what mothers have to go through. I am more than ready to go to prison for our children because I am tired of empty promises by government and of our suffering.”

Erica Samson said: “I will never lose hope with my children, irrespective if they are drug addicts. I love them and I will keep praying for them. On Friday my youngest son stole my cellphone and on Saturday my last R50 was stolen out of my wallet. One day I got so angry, everything just went black and I took a knife and wanted to stab him.”

She was stopped when her grandchild stood between her and her son and said “No ma, please don’t.”

Fransman told the crowd: “We have heard your plight. We need more information to understand the issue much more. But I want to, and we will meet with you, as leaders.” - Cape Times