Cape Town - While the country’s National Drug Master Plan (NDMP) to deal with the use and abuse of substances is on track, challenges including political instability have been highlighted as hindrances to its implementation in the province.
The NDMP 2019–2024 is South Africa’s blueprint to provide strategic direction to the country’s efforts to deal with the use and abuse of substances. It sets out strategic national drug policies and priorities to manage Substance Use Disorders (SUDs).
According to the provincial annual report, Western Cape Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez, has said that 17 municipalities have established a Local Drug Action Committee (LDAC).
However, 13 other municipalities have not implemented the LDAC.
These are Cederberg, Breede Valley, Drakenstein, Witzenberg, Oudtshoorn, Overberg, Cape Winelands, West Coast, Garden Route, Central Karoo, Beaufort West, Lainsburg and Prince Albert municipalities.
Fernandez highlighted three factors which prevented implementation, when answering a parliamentary question recently.
“Some of the reasons are political instability in some municipalities (which) creates barriers to establish and maintain a functional LDAC, some municipalities lack budget / human and other resources to establish and provide support to drive LDACs, and some municipalities do not agree with the principle of local government establishing and running LDACs,” said Fernandez.
In the annual report, Western Cape Substance Abuse Forum chairperson, Chantelle Pepper, said: “In terms of the establishment of the Provincial Substance Abuse Forum it is clear that many departments do not know or understand their responsibility in terms of the NDMP 2019-2024. Greater effort should be made in the development of the Drug Master Plan to ensure the buy-in of all departments into this process to ensure ownership and funded mandates within departments to give effect to the implementation thereof.”
Recommendations made by established and functioning LDACs included a call to the National Department of Social Development and Central Drug Authority (CDA) to review the financial and non-financial support that is provided.
It was further recommended that the department host a national conference mandating all relevant departments to attend and to work through the NDPM, and that greater effort be made to ensure the buy-in of all departments into the process to ensure ownership and funded mandates to give effect to the implementation of the NDMP.
Cape Times