MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The ACDP commends the Mossel Bay Municipality on the proactive steps it is taking to address the growing problem of homelessness in our town.

A contributing factor to such homelessness is drug addiction.

In order to address this matter, the Mossel Bay Municipality, in conjunction with the Western Cape government and SANCA, proposed that the Willem van Heerden building in town be used to house SANCA and the Department of Social Development from which they would run a community-based treatment model for the addicted.

However, at a public meeting, the residents of Ward 8 rejected the idea since the CBD is a critical area for tourism and businesses, which are both necessary to grow the economy in Mossel Bay.

It was said at the meeting that although rehabilitation efforts are supported, the location of these offices was not ideal and an alternative venue should be found. 

The ACDP supports this resolution.

While the ACDP recognises the very dire need to address drug addiction in Mossel Bay, we do not believe that rehabilitation is the only means needed to successfully assist the addicted. Public policy must be urgently revised and new, meaningful and effective policies adopted.

To this end, the ACDP suggests that ACDP policies regarding the family, health and safety be implemented in Mossel Bay.

Root causes such as the breakdown of the family unit, lawlessness and unemployment are the main factors that need to be addressed most urgently.

The liberal legalisation of shebeens and liquor outlets in vulnerable communities and the lack of trust in law enforcement must be addressed.

Bad policy leads to poor public outcomes, as can be witnessed and it is for this reason that the ACDP bases all our policies on the wisdom found in the word of God.

Thus the ACDP:

• Promotes upholds and defends Christian family values.
• Believes that the family is an institution worthy of nurturing and protecting. It is the ideal setting for teaching a child about Godly authority, obedience and love, which are the foundations for a strong nation. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)
• Where these elements are missing, delinquency, crime and violence usually occur.
• Apartheid institutionalised the separation of families with the most devastating results. It caused fatherless children, broken wives, abject poverty and indiscriminate crime to become the norm. The ACDP strongly believes that anything which is a threat to the family is a threat to society.
• Urges that steps must be taken in maintaining the family unit as the strongest building block of society.
• The ACDP will impose severe punishment on anyone found smuggling drugs or directly responsible for causing the sale of drugs.
• Those caught selling drugs on behalf of merchants will get life-long sentences, with parole after 25 years.

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