Infighting is threatening to throw into disarray efforts to rehabilitate addicts receiving assistance from the Ilisolakhe Rehabilitation Centre, following the death of one of its \u201cfounding members\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility, located in Mandela Park, is the only such facility in Khayelitsha. It works with recovering drug addicts from different communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Established in November 2021, it operates from Andile Nhose Centre. Before the raging dispute the centre reportedly had more than 300 patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Friday 9 June, the facility was thrown into chaos when some of its patients escaped amid simmering tensions among its management. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to one of the founders, named \u201cAbdullah\u201d, the infighting began on Sunday 4 June after his partner Shaheed Silwana died. He was buried the next day according to Muslim rites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abdullah accused Silwana\u2019s girlfriend Fatiema Diko of wanting to take the management of the facility over. He claimed this was rejected by the in-patients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe community leaders, including the ward councillor, came to intervene on Wednesday 7 June, and demanded that Diko be in charge of the centre, but the in-patients didn\u2019t want her. They became rowdy and soon after the meeting some of the in-patients wanted to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Responding to claims against her, Diko blamed certain family members for not wanting her at the facility. She described herself as the \u201csole registered member\u201d of the facility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview with City Vision<\/em>, Diko said she has since pulled out of the facility, adding that it operated illegally since all the documents were in her name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am the sole registered member of the centre. My husband was just assisting me, but he was more involved in the security company that he owned. I was the administrator of the centre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She blamed some family members for orchestrating plans to oust her from the centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Diko said her husband was a polygamist and his second wife wanted to take control although she was never involved in the management of the centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe first wife was never involved in the centre. She knows nothing about it. The only thing that she did was cook for the in-patients from her house, and some people were transporting food from her house to the centre, nothing else. The first wife\u2019s son was a driver. I was the only person who was hands-on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diko said she learned of her husband\u2019s death from people in the community. She then went to the first wife\u2019s house accompanied by her family members. She alleged they were chased away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Wednesday 7 June she said they had a meeting with Sanco leaders, board members and the ward councillor to resolve the impasse. However, the meeting failed to yield the desired outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven on Thursday 8 June, we had another meeting followed by our last meeting we had on Friday 9 June,\u201d Diko said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was at Friday\u2019s meeting that the councillor called all the staff members and informed them that they will work with me. After that he also informed the in-patients of the same thing. That is when the chaos started, the in-patients shouted at us saying that they did not want to work with me. They accused me of being abusive. I don\u2019t know how I abuse them because I\u2019m not always with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diko believes the patients were advised to reject her. She said a few minutes after leaving the centre with the local councillor, Mthwalo Mkutswana, she received a call that patients were leaving the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said all the board members resigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Abdullah told City Vision<\/em> the facility still operated, although it only had 36 patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI must state that Diko is not Shaheed\u2019s wife. She was his side chick, but she was involved in the business. I was working with Shaheed nicely. But after he dated Diko he changed and was dictated to by her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explaining his involvement with the centre, Mkutswana said he helped Silwana establish the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShaheed came to my office seeking help on how to open the centre. I advised him to register it before he opened it so he would be able to get help from the government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut when Shaheed opened it he registered it under Fatiema, who I believe is his second wife. Fatiema is the one who is in the book. Silwana is not in the books,\u201d explained Mkutswana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He stated that they went to the meeting with Fatiema since they believe she was the right person to run the centre after her husband died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lonwabo Peter, one of the parents whose child has been enrolled with the centre and a Sanco leader, confirmed community leaders were informed of the impasse at the facility. He said they tried to resolve the dispute, but failed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEverything was going smoothly until the founder of the centre died. In my observation it is more of a family problem than the operations in the centre. Because we believed that Fatiema was Shaheed\u2019s second wife, and now that he is no more some people are saying she was a girlfriend. But we used to see her working with Shaheed, even driving cars here. I was shocked when I arrived home on Friday 9 June and found my son there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peter said his son, who was admitted to the centre in January, was doing well with the programme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy fear is for him to go back to his bad habits. But I\u2019ll stay with him for now, until things go back to normal at the centre, and then I\u2019ll decide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Infighting is threatening to throw into disarray efforts to rehabilitate addicts receiving assistance from the Ilisolakhe Rehabilitation Centre, following the death of one of its \u201cfounding 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