It’s tough to be a working class South African, especially now that we are feeling the economic crunch with the Vat hike that has made the cost of consumable goods and services - such as food, electricity and bank charges - go up.
We now have to brace ourselves for yet another major petrol hike we are told, and then you get a clear picture of why we are such a depressed nation that we would spend a fortune on alcohol and drugs just to get by.
The story on our page 1 talks to the fact that we can’t afford basic services, paying school fees, property rates and taxes but a huge chunk of our GDP goes towards “mind-altering substances, with alcohol, painkillers and dagga” followed by other hard core drugs.
There is a whole generation of kids roaming the streets stoned out of their minds because they abuse dagga, nyaope and tik. I passed a street in Berea where more than 20 boys and girls, were lining the pavement injecting themselves with some substance.
Those who are not on the streets abusing drugs, abuse alcohol in the comfort of their homes. You see this at funerals where “after tears” has become a subculture. Many wouldn’t be seen dead (excuse the pun) going to a funeral without a cooler box filled with all sorts of ciders in the boots of their cars.
And statistics don’t lie. They confirm that almost 20% - one in five adults - abuse substances of sorts, including cough mixtures, just anything to keep us away from dealing with reality.
Once upon a time there was a big indaba at the Waterkloof Military Base in Pretoria that was well attended by all sectors of society aptly named the Moral Regeneration Movement.
South Africa got together to find solutions to our societal ills. There were speeches and promises made. What happened to all of that?
Isn’t it time that we revive that movement and keep the promises that were made?