26 Oct 2017

Drug abuse among the young generation is a concern with children as young as primary school pupils involved, says Botswana Tertiary School Sports Association (BOTESSA) public relations officer, Duncan Segabo

The association took it upon themselves to help combat the use of drugs by organising a walk themed: 'Sport: Key to a Drug and Alcohol Abuse Free Generation.'

The walk will commence from the Parliament building today (October 27) at 2pm to the University of Botswana Stadium where there would be an official opening of the BOTESSA championships scheduled for today and tomorrow (October 28).

Segabo said the walk was aimed at using tertiary students as messengers to the younger generation and as intermediaries between parents and their siblings.

He said drugs entered the country through illegal points of entry and later on pass to innocent children.

Segabo said drug use in the country has grown fast, stating that it impacted on school performance as students had become an established market for drugs.

He said the issue was leading the country to economic ruin as indulgence by students had resulted in poor performance.

The government, he said, was spending a lot of money on rehabilitating drug victims as well as on students who underperform.

He further said an alarming number of road accidents in Botswana were linked to drug and alcohol abuse.

Segabo said if action was not taken now, the future of Botswana would be flushed away by drugs.

Bracket A, B and C qualified teams would partake in the championships. ENDS