Sub-council 12 discussed an ambitious substance-abuse “safe-haven” plan at its first meeting of the year.
Chair Solomon Philander announced the proposed programme at the meeting on Thursday 22 January at the Lentegeur administrative offices.
He said the programme, to be undertaken in conjunction with the City’s outpatient recovery system currently running from Tafelsig Clinic, will “see ward offices serving as gateways for basic assessments and referrals to the Matrix Programme.
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“This sub-council will spearhead a safe haven for people on substances who want to stop the abuse. This is the heartbeat of our sub-council, to make sure that we also create an opportunity for our community to live a better life.” Philander added that substance abuse affected everyone.
“Whether one is a councillor or not we all know of someone who has a substance-abuse problem.”
Matrix Clinic
Philander’s announcement was the foreword to a presentation by Yolani Tyam of the Tafelsig Matrix Clinic.
Tyam said the free substance abuse treatment programme is showing improved results.
The Matrix Programme, which provides evidence-based outpatient treatment, had shown improved retention rates and high negative drug-test results.
“The most common question is, how do you treat substance abuse?” Tyam said, adding that the City’s centre treated substance abuse as a chronic illness.
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Tyam outlined the service’s six-week intensive treatment approach, which includes relapse prevention, family education, random drug testing and ongoing support groups, all provided free of charge to participants.
“To avoid relapse we also advise family education,” Tyam said.
He welcomed “engagement and support” from the sub-council and said pamphlets and a 20-question self-screening questionnaire already existed and could be used for community screening.
Current challenges
Despite its successes, the programme also faces several operational challenges, including limited office and waiting space, limited family involvement, and transport issues.
“Being the only Matrix Clinic in Mitchells Plain means the entire Mitchells Plain is reliant on the Tafelsig centre,” Tyam said, adding that the sparsity of City centres meant Tafelsig also got referrals from areas further afield, such as Philippi and Samora Machel. Tyam said this created transport challenges, which means some clients do not complete the programme.
Outpatient treatment, he said, also suffered a lack of support from families and communities owing to stigma.
“Substance abuse does put a strain on relationships in families,” he said.
Furthermore, participants needed ongoing help from support groups, “where addicts help other addicts”. These support groups, which are provided by fellowships such as Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous and religious organisations, are few and far between in Mitchells Plain, “due to gang violence and distance”.
Safe havens
Philander thanked Tyam for his presentation.
“Substance abuse is a major, major issue in our communities. And through our life skills programme we identify more and more the reality of the impact of substance abuse in our communities.
“Substance abuse is something that breaks our community completely. The sad reality is, there are users sitting openly with a needle injecting themselves. I don’t think we should get used to that. We need to make sure we can raise our kids in an environment that is a safe haven.”
