Founder and Director of SADD, Ms Caro Smit (centre) with UKZN’s Mr Amith Ramballie and Ms Nomonde Magantolo.Substance and Drug Abuse Workshop on Westville campus
An Anti-Drug and Substance Abuse Initiative (ADSAI) workshop was held on the Westville campus. It was a joint venture between UKZN’s HIV and AIDS Programme, the South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development.
The workshop was one of the events leading up to the launch of UKZN’s Anti-Drug and Substance Abuse Initiative to fight the rising number of cases involving drug and substance abuse at the Institution.
The two-hour information sharing and training workshop brought together UKZN staff and students to discuss the responsible use of alcohol, drinking and driving, and basic road safety measures.
It is hoped the initiative will help minimise drug and substance abuse and related incidents at UKZN, empower students and staff against drugs and substance abuse, form strategic partnerships with organisations that deal with drug and substance abuse and contribute towards UKZN becoming a drug-free university.
The workshop highlighted the dangers of drinking and walking, alcohol poisoning, signs of a spiked drink, the alcohol limit based on laws and regulations, alcohol dependency, and the effects of drinking and driving.
According to SADD, road accidents are the leading cause of deaths for people under 29 years of age. About 18 000 people die on the road because of crashes while 150 000 others are severely injured.
According to the HIV and AIDS Programme, UKZN is currently experiencing an increase in the number of drug and substance related incidents.
Statistics provided by UKZN’s Risk Management Division reveal the concerning reality of these incidents. According to the incident-based reports for 2014 and 2015, there were 44 “reported” drug and substance related incidents at UKZN. The primary drugs used were cannabis (dagga) and cocaine.
* South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD) is a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO No: 055-255). SADD’s Head Office is in Pietermaritzburg, but it operates throughout South Africa.
Sithembile Shabangu