A registered non-profit organisation committed to creating safe spaces for people in recovery from addiction is opening a landmark venue in the Bellville suburb of Belgravia this weekend. One Day at a Time Triangle (ODAAT) Recovery Centre will open its doors to the public on Saturday 20 June at 11:00 at Petrusa Park — marking a significant milestone for the Western Cape’s recovery community.
ODAAT, which works closely with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Al-Anon, describes its mission as establishing recovery clubs where individuals struggling with addiction and their family members can attend daily meetings and find peer support.
A disease hidden by stigma
Kolbe Cooper of ODAAT acknowledges that the stigma surrounding addiction has kept the crisis largely invisible. “In our experience, the stigma of this disease keeps it mostly hidden from the public,” he said. “We would like to open a number of recovery centres in the Western Cape and encourage affected people to either join existing recovery groups or start their own meetings in a safe space.”
Cooper is equally candid about how South Africa is responding to the scale of addiction as a public health matter. “No — our history of conflict and trauma has made this a major need in our province and country,” he said. “If we can provide a venue where people can meet and help each other, this would not only assist but also bring this message to more people.”
A five-year journey to find a venue
The road to opening the Belgravia venue was far from straightforward. Cooper revealed that stigma was not only a social barrier but a practical one. “Our problem with stigma was trying to find a dedicated safe-space venue,” he said. “All the properties we looked at renting, without exception, we were told we were not their class of tenant or they didn’t want alcoholics and addicts on their properties.”
The setback prompted ODAAT to embark on what Cooper describes as an almost five-year journey to secure investors to purchase a property and rent it to the organisation. “This is a start and we aim to expand throughout the greater Cape Town area with more centres,” he added.
Helping others to help yourself
At the heart of ODAAT’s model is a peer-support philosophy. “Our recovery centre provides a dedicated recovery venue for meetings and people in recovery to reach out and help themselves by helping others still suffering,” said Cooper. “We believe helping others assists us in helping ourselves.”
Cooper sees this community-driven approach as complementary to the work of government. “We rely on like-minded people helping one another and think this fits well with government and NPOs where each takes responsibility for what it can do best — to make more people aware and support communities who cannot afford the cost of a treatment facility.”
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ODAAT recognises that addiction does not affect the individual alone. The organisation is in the process of establishing Al-Anon family meetings specifically for family members of those in recovery. “We are starting Al-Anon family meetings for families,” Cooper confirmed.
An open invitation to the community
Cooper extended a heartfelt invitation to residents of Bellville and the Western Cape to attend Saturday’s opening. “Join us for the opening and info session at our venue, ask questions, or visit our Facebook page or WhatsApp group and let’s work together in recovering from this rampant disease in our society and area,” he said. “This is a we problem and we need to face it together.”
The opening takes place on Saturday 20 June 2025 at 11:00 at ODAAT Recovery Centre, Petrusa Park, Belgravia, Bellville.
For more information, visit the ODAAT Facebook page.
