To mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu in partnership with the MTN Foundation and the Gauteng Department of Social Development, will on Tuesday, 25 June officially hand over a multimedia centre at the Life Recovery Centre, Randfontein under the theme: “Health for Justice. Justice for Health”.
 
The theme of this year’s commemoration seeks to highlight that an effective response to the world drug problem requires coordinated multi-sectoral action from key institutions of criminal justice, health and social services - to name a few.
 
The Life Recovery Centre is registered in terms of the Prevention and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act (Act No. 70 of 2008). It is funded by the Gauteng Provincial Department of Social Development to the tune of over 56 Million Rand to render holistic treatment interventions to service users and their families, to mitigate the social, psychological and health impact of substance abuse.
 
The facility has a suitably qualified multi-disciplinary team that provides services to persons with substance use disorders. The centre also renders a 24-hour service which currently has 306 beneficiaries under the in-patient treatment and 44 in the half-way house programme.
The in-patient programme provides a 6-week treatment programme which is inclusive of detoxification while the halfway house programme provides a 6-12 months residential substance abuse aftercare and reintegration service.
 
The multimedia centre, which is fully sponsored by the MTN Foundation, will empower many of the service-users who are currently undergoing substance use disorder treatment with accredited computer training.
 
This will go a long way to empower young people at the centre with job-related skills, particularly at this crucial time as young people are most affected by unemployment in South Africa. The handover of the multimedia centre forms part of MTN’s 21 Days of Y’ello Care - an annual employee volunteer programme.
 
Globally, South Africa is one of the countries hardest hit by the scourge of alcohol and substance abuse. The National Drug Master Plan is a national blueprint for preventing and reducing alcohol and substance abuse under the leadership of the Central Drug Authority.
 
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the event arranged as follows:
      
Date:          Tuesday, 25 June 2019
Time:          10h00 - 14h00
Venue:       Life Recovery Centre, 28 Maugham Road - Randfontein, Gauteng Province       ‘
 
Media can RSVP by contacting Jaconia Kobue - 073 026 1111 / JaconiaK@dsd.gov.za or Nomfundo Lentsoane on 0664806845/ NomfundoLe@dsd.gov.gov.za     
 
Media enquiries may be forwarded to Lumka Oliphant on 083 484 8067 or LumkaO@dsd.gov.za  
            
 
Issued on behalf of the Department of Social Development