Johannesburg -
President Jacob Zuma and several Cabinet members met parents in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg, on Tuesday to discuss a drug problem in the area.
The closed meeting at a family and youth care centre would be followed by another with residents at nearby sports grounds.
Also attending were Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane and Gauteng police commissioner Mzwandile Petros.
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini and Hawks head Anwa Dramat accompanied Zuma.
The visit followed a letter a concerned parent wrote to Zuma in April. In it Cordelia Bailey appealed to Zuma to help close down drug dens, called “lolli lounges”, which she said had flooded the area.
“The merchants lure young girls to these houses and pay them R100 to keep the men entertained,” she wrote.
The girls were then introduced to drugs and turned into prostitutes. They eventually got their drugs free of charge as they kept clients “happy”, Bailey wrote. - Sapa