'Support our fight against drug dealers'

Gallery Update

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - For about two hours early on Tuesday, the normal flow of traffic was disrupted as about 500 people from the greater KwaNonqaba area protested against the prevalence of drug dealers and the consequence of drug dependency in their neighbourhood.

People took to the streets during an organised, legal and peaceful protest march to appeal to the Department of Justice and particularly the local judiciary not to be lenient in cases where drug dealers are the accused.

Louis Fourie Road was closed to traffic for approximately two hours.

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Although a call was made for people of KwaNonqaba not to go to work, scores of people were seen walking to work.

The inconvenience to some was justified, the protesters argued, considering the scourge of drugs did not affect the community of KwaNonqaba only.

Scores of people waited patiently for the court official to arrive so that the petition could be officially handed over.

Well supported
The march was well supported, peaceful and well organised. Law enforcement officials escorted the marchers as they made their way along Mayixhale Road and Louis Fourie Road to the Mossel Bay Magistrate's court.

Local taxi drivers and owners supported the community in their quest to draw the attention of the court to the community's stand against drug dealers.

"We know of drug dealers who have been arrested more than 11 times. Every time they appeared in court, they were granted bail. Every time they were out on bail, they would go back to dealing in drugs," one of the organisers, Vincent Mzwabantu Makatesi, told the Mossel Bay Advertiser.

Several of the protesters told stories about children and family being drug dependent. They explained the hardship this caused to the rest of the family, especially as drug dependent people often reverted to petty theft and other crimes to fund their drug habit.

"We demand that the courts should not be so lenient with drug dealers. Magistrates and prosecutors should note the effect of drugs and drug dependency on the moral fabric of our society. The whole community, not only the family of a drug dependent person, suffers. We demand a much stricter approach when drug dealers appear in court," a woman, who preferred not to be identified, said. She emphasised that all of Mossel Bay was affected as crime was not limited only to the greater KwaNonqaba area.

Life sentence
"Our children are being killed. If not murdered directly, they are given a life sentence when they become drug dependent. Druggies will murder for a fix; they will steal whatever, wherever to be able to afford their drugs.

"Drug lords use drugs to enslave our children in a life of crime. They make our children steal and do even worse things just for another fix." A woman said she was sorry not to see even more people - especially people outside of KwaNonqaba and Asla Park - supporting the stand against drugs.

The protesters became somewhat restless when initially it appeared as if a junior official was sent to receive their petition. The organisers indicated that they would refuse to leave the court precinct if a more senior person was not available to accept the petition. The acting office manager, Johlene van Staden, saved the situation when she faced the crowd on behalf of the local magistrates, the Department of Justice and the National Prosecuting Authority. She was extremely professional in her approach. She addressed the protesters and explained that their petition would immediately be forwarded to the relevant authorities for feedback on the grievances raised.

Deadline
The protesters gave the department until 26 April to revert to them.

"We are petitioning the magistrates of the Mossel Bay Magistrate's Court not to be soft in their approach to drug dealers," organiser Makatesi told the Advertiser. "We are asking the Court not to give bail to people who appear on drug charges. We are asking the Court to help us to protect our children against drug dealers.

"We are asking the Court to order those illegal immigrants found guilty on drug charges to be deported."

On a number of occasions, at the request of the crowd, the organisers had to call on an interpreter to translate into Afrikaans what was being said. The group left peacefully once the petition was handed over. Despite reports received of people being forced not to go to work, the spokesperson for the KwaNonqaba police, Sgt Kapp said no reports of intimidation, damage to property or any other forms of criminality relating to the march were received.

* The acting office manager of the local magistrate's court, Johlene van Staden, accepted the petition from one of the organisers, Vincent Mzwabantu Makatesi.