On 8 February, the Social Development Department accompanied Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba to Rosettenville as part of the specialised task team which raided the area with JMPD after residents protested about alleged drug dens and prostitution in the area.
Based on the raid, the following information can be disclosed:
- The Social Development Department made arrangements with the Provincial Department of Social Development for the provision of alternative places of safety for minors or clients requiring substance dependency rehabilitation as part of the Social Benefits offering;
- The Department addressed issues relating to migrants in the community. The community of Rosettenville has a large number of migrants. Some are validly documented and others are not. Due to the Department of Home Affairs’ Immigration Office not being present during the raids, and a lack of clear direction from them on the management of illegal immigrants, Social Development officials advised undocumented migrants to seek assistance at the Marabastad Refugee Reception Centre for documentation. Those who had documentation were informed about services provided through our Migrant Help Desk located in the Inner City;
- The social workers were able to identify and profile 32 drug hotspots. The team will analyse these profiles and design an appropriate action plan which may possibly include the establishment of a community Anti-Drug coalition in partnership with the South African National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (SANCA), an NGO that specialises in the treatment of substance abuse that the City uses for referrals; as well as the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA), an American company in partnership with the City that provides training to our social workers as well as our Local Drug Action Committees (LDACs), on establishing effective coalitions within drug-infested communities. LDACs consist of various stakeholders and work towards effecting the National Drug Masters Plan. All this will ensure that communities are capacitated to conduct research for community diagnosis as well as craft interventions based on their findings. CADCA will provide training whist SANCA works with the City of Joburg for continued technical support.
The role of the Social Development Department was to assess and remove trafficked commercial sex workers, especially young girls, who were reported to be in brothels. The team came across prostitutes who were interviewed and assessed by our social workers to determine their needs. All but two refused our services, indicating that they were content with working as prostitutes and claimed to have places where they pay rent. They alleged that they were able to take care of themselves and their families with the income they earn from this trade.
The intended plan of action is as follows:
- To follow up on individuals who were willing to be assisted and provide the necessary services they require;
- To implement Integrated Substance Abuse Management and Moral Regeneration programmes;
- To provide empowerment programmes to the vulnerable members of the community and continue to provide social worker services from the local clinics in the South.
Added to this, Mayor Mashaba will establish an LDAC consisting of key decision makers in various sectors of society, and:
- Roll out the Ward Based anti-drug coalitions;
- Strengthen collaboration between Social Development, JMPD, Community Development, Economic Development and Development Planning to fight substance abuse;
- Roll out Community Based Anti-Drug Rehabilitation Centres; and
- Establish a dedicated substance abuse unit within the Social Development Department.
We are a caring administration that prioritises the needs of our communities. Residents of the City will no longer struggle to access basic services. We will work hard to ensure that an integrated approach is implemented in dealing with the problems faced by our communities.