Cape Town - The ANC in the Western Cape has accused the Provincial Government of being too slow to implement the National Drug Master Plan (NDMP) despite its own Policing Needs and Priorities (PNP) having identified substance abuse and drug dealing as key drivers of crime and violence.
ANC social development spokesperson Gladys Bakubaku-Vos said they were extremely concerned that 13 of the province’s 30 municipalities had not set up Local Drug Action Committees (LDACs) and that the province appeared to have no sense of urgency to establish them.
Bakubaku-Vos was responding to a written reply to questions she had asked Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez about progress made with the implementation of the NDMP in the province and for details of the LDACs.
Bakubaku-Vos said: “We note with concern the situation at Mossel Bay, which is experiencing a spike in substance abuse disorders but has no treatment centre.”
She said treatment centres in the surrounding areas were full and this left people with limited treatment and support options.
“We call on the MEC to champion the building of a treatment centre in Mossel Bay and for the establishment of Local Drug Action Committees in all municipalities.”
The PNP which was presented to the legislature last month identified substance abuse and drug dealing as key drivers of crime and violence.
It said the root causes of the problem needed to be addressed using a multi-pronged approach and that substance abusers must be given adequate support and treatment opportunities.
Speaking to the reasons why 13 municipalities had not established LDACs, Fernandez blamed the issue of political instability at some municipalities and said this created barriers to the establishment and maintenance of functional LDACs.
Fernandez also said that while some municipalities lack a budget, and human and other resources to establish and provide support to drive LDACs, others do not agree with the principle of local government establishing and running LDACs.
She said the mandate and objectives of the LDACs included compiling and implementing an action plan to combat substance abuse in the relevant municipality in cooperation with provincial and local governments.