It’s rather terrifying than disgusting how nyaope smokers can be. Nyaope is a drug like a substance (in powder), that contains a various portions of chemicals, including Ratex and the ARV tablets. Nyaope is being smoked all throughout South Africa. It’s even most popular in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Cape Town. In these provinces nyaope is flourishing because of the growth of the economy and the rapid change of the population.
As urbanization is popular in South Africa, the people from Limpopo mostly travel to Gauteng in search of the greener pastures. However, it remains a pain if that same greener pastures turn a person in to a living night mare. Most of the youth todaybecome the victims of nyaope when they get to the cities. This is because in the cities like Johannesburg and Pretoria they are many Nigerians who sell nyaope even in the spot light. The parks are full of nyaope sellers like juice, groovebanana business. Nyaope is more popular in the cities but due to the growth of its own population, ithas became a daily stress even in the rural areas.
Ga Tobo, Tafelkop Majakaneng section. Have become a den of hell since they sell nyaope. GaTobo was a perfect business side and a very clean business among others.Tobo himself started his business inside the containerof thepublic phones. His brother expanded the side by building nice grass roofed pub, but it never operate as the pub because his brother was a lawyer and busy to open the pub. Tobo took his phones business and sweet and snacks business in to the building. It became a good shop, which he operated until his brother died. He continued with the business after the death of his brother until now. Feeling generous he built a nice car wash shelter which he invited me to use, as I was operating the other car wash from around but was no longer visible as they have built the rooms in front of it. I went to operate the one at Ga Tobo. As I opened it, the nyaopetraders recruited me to sell nyaope for them. I turned down their offer a several times. As the car wash became busy, the certain boy who is related to Tobo came and work with me at the car wash. He is a fool, he have let thosenyaopetraders to come and sell nyaopeat the car wash. In less than three months, the place was rotten. There were almost thirty to fortynyaope smokers in the car wash, during the day, in the morning and even at the evening. These nyaope smokers theyhardly take a bath and they look horrible and terrible as a result of that. The people started to deserted the place, the customers became to slow down, from at the car wash and even in the shop. The shop was also a tavern as it was originally a pub. The people who drink alcoholalso stopped to come anddrink at GaTobo. Because theyfeared the nyaopesmokers and also disliked them. Nyaope smokers mug people and they ask money more often. So the drunkards ran for their own safety, because as they are drunk, the nyaope smokers mug them and take all their belongs. The girls that used to come and buy chips and kotaat GaTobo, they are no longer coming. They fear to be raped androbbed by the nyaope smokers. Thenyaope smokers themselves, they don’t have a problem!They even see nothing wrong.
In an attempt to evict them, Tobo’smother have wrote a memorandum complaining to the King of the community(KingBoleu2). The King and the kingdom did not response to the memorandum positively. So the granny sort to took the matter to Motetema police station. The police officials from Motetema police station came at GaTobo bearing the papers, on them they have written all the nyaope smokers that seems to be smoking atGaTobo. They also asked of the one who is called Fonko. He is the one who was selling for various drug lots. They didn’t found him or found any of the smokers. No arrest that was made, but the police officers came more often to deter the smokers. The smokers stopped smoking at Ga Tobo, but one boy next to the car wash opened the market and sell nyaope. Now this boy(Gift), his home is front opposite to GaTobo, so his market is at his home, Tobo’s mother tried to stop him, but his traders (drug lots) promised him protection, then he disobeyed the grannies and the police. So as he went on to sell, Mpedi came in and started to sell as well. Mpedi is living next door to Tobo, his home isthe house next to the shop of Tobo. So as Mpedi and Gift are selling, the nyaopesmokersare still parading at GaToboas if Tobo is the one selling nyaope. And they terrorize the place and make it unpleasant to stay.
When Gift and Mpedi saw a business triumph in nyaope, me and Tobo we see a business dandling, because our customers are afraid of nyaopesmokers, or are shocked of them. From the look of things, nyaopetraders give the police officials money so that their sellers might not be interrupted. This same bribery can be the same reason why the Motetema police station officials are reluctant to arrest Mpedi and Gift at GaTobo. GaTobo is big business place that is in a national road. The people who are traveling from Groblersdal to various places at Jane furze are passing there. People from Johannesburg to various places at Polokwane pass there, only to find nyaopeinthespotlight. And to be robbed and asked money, as they stop for toiletor buying.
Nyaope do not only terrorize the person who is smoking it but also vandalize the environment that the person lives in. At Groblersdal Mall, They hired a GunmerSecurity to ensure that no nyaopesmokersenters the mall. The Gunmer Security have cleaned all the nyaopesmokers from the town and gather them at Kanala( the valley of Lepelele river). This security company could still ensure thatnyaope is not been smoked in the town, like it’s not been smoked in the Mall.But because the drug lots bribe the top police officials, the police havestoppedtheGunmersecurityto chase the smokers from entering the town. The Mall as clean as it’s, so should be the town. Because you can’t left your car with the groceries alone inside the town. They strip of all your car, the people who buy business stock know that. Their stuff is being stolen at back of the car as they buy some, or even when they cross the stop signs and humps. The way nyaope smokers steal is very extensive, it brings everything back. The economy, the business and the lives of many.
Their behavior and appearance have dandle the business of Tobo, and the car wash that was clean and reliable, only because the people fear them and dislike them. Their association with us have made a rapid dramatic change. Which I guess have only blessed them only, because our blessings have passed away as they ruined our business. I’m of the opinion that segregation must be practiced on these people. Being them people, they are our families and friends. But their addiction to nyaope, and the way they do to satisfy their addiction, is inhumane. So as much we have suffer as Blacks under theWhite’sdomination during apartheidsystem, South Africa before 1994. We are aware of the brutal state of segregation, whereby you are not even allowed to enter the stadium with others. However, it is with that experience that we would figure a modest way of separating ourselves with thenyaopesmokers. For the benefit of the futuregenerations. There are mountains whererehabilitationcenters maybe built like an old government’s concentrationcamps, which should belawfullyby force to take any nyaopesmokers there. If the nyaopesmokerproofs to have been rehabilitated, he or she might be released from the center and join healthily the family that has been waiting worse even before he or she went to center, because she or he was already lost by mere smoking nyaope.
The ForcedRehabilitationCenters can help South Africa and other countries, to safe their dandling populations from dandling. The people who are turning to smokenyaope areeven more as unemploymentrate is higher in South Africa. Stressed from poverty, people do anything that helps them to live. Those that are gullible, end up smokingnyaope trying to meet the ranks of the drug lots. If South Africacontinues to turn a blind eye onthenyaope, the next census’sbureaucracy will show the population of South Africadawning, mostly males, as even females complains that there are no longer husbands in South Africa. It’s only my conclusion that separation might not hurt a little. It’s evenbetter toofficially separatewith person than to be with the person but feel like you are alone. Because the nyaope smoking person cannot help you even a little, not for free. You still need to pay him even if he is your son and you support him. So it means that even if you are with him, as long as he still smoke nyaope, he will not be fruitful to you. Lest you lose all your money, penny by penny or all at once. I conclude by saying mybrother who is still smoking nyaope is still my brother. However, separation won’t hurts a little, if it helps my brother. God bless South Africa and the world.
By KATLEGO MATLADI, South Africa
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