27 Sep 2015

Batawana Acting Paramount Chief, Kgosi Kealetile Moremi has said it is now time to establish reasons why a wide number of youth is taking drugs.

Speaking recently at a Youth Anti-Drug and Alcohol Campaign held in Maun, Kgosi Kealetile said that they should find the source of the drugs so that the battle could be won.  

She highlighted that  there are several reasons why the great evil that has bedeviled the youth, chief among them lack of parental guidance and peer pressure.

She said that once somebody has tasted drugs, it becomes a habit that is very difficult to control adding that at times, there are some youth who mislead others by making them find solace in drugs and narcotics.

She said she believed the unusual Satanism activities that took place in Maun last year were the result of alcohol and drug abuse, noting that the perpetrators absconded from school, harassed and threatened staff, resulting in some schools being burnt into ashes.

“No normal child could do that. It was obvious those were actions of a person influenced by drugs,” she added. However, she revealed that with a unified front presented by the community, they managed to eradicate the problem.

She further added that abuse of alcohol and drugs is still a major concern in Maun, therefore encouraged all stakeholders involved to stand together and fight the problem adding that alcohol and drug abuse has now become an international problem as every country is facing the menace of drug abuse.  

Kgosi Kealetile also pleaded with parents to stop selling alcohol and drugs to young children because drugs affect their future.

Botswana Police Senior Superintendent for CID, Mokwadi Willie also said that alcohol and drug abuse are a major concern in the North West district.

He stressed that the objective of the campaign was to teach the youth about the effects of alcohol and drug abuse in their lives as well as to share ideas on how they can eradicate drug and alcohol use in the district.  

Snr Supt Willie said that for the past three years, the district has registered 258 cases of rape, which mostly occurred when the victims were on their way home from different clubs.

He revealed that mostly crimes are committed by the youth and that there are 1955 cases of assault by boyfriends who had misunderstanding with their girlfriends at clubs and sheebens at night.

He also revealed that in the past three years, they have also recorded 944 cases of Common Nuisance that were mostly committed by youth after having misunderstandings at nightclubs hence they saw it neccesary to do the anti- drug and alcohol abuse campaign.  ENDS