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 Police at the scene where the body was found.

Horrific drug ritual now in Thohoyandou

 

The use of illicit drugs and the prevalence of substance abuse among the youth, especially those of school-going age, are becoming a source of great concern.

Drugs such as mandrax and cocaine, among others, were initially just a myth in rural areas and were only available in towns. Investigations show that these are now readily available even in the rural areas. Thohoyandou has not been spared as dealers or runners are to be found in many corners of the town.

To the surprise of many, a new drug called Bluetooth, a “narcotic ritual”, has hit the streets and is now in circulation in the town of Thohoyandou. The procedure here is that a drug is injected into one person and then the person’s blood is drawn and injected into others who also want to be “high”.

The “ritual” is suspected to have already claimed a victim in Thohoyandou. A man was left dead by his smoking mates behind the Thohoyandou Town Hall. Next to his body were two bloodstained syringes, a knife and a cap. Not far from the body were empty liquor bottles, leading people to suspect that the friends had also been drinking.

Municipal employees who work nearby say a group of youths used the dark corner of the buildings for their smoking habit and that they had to chase them away every day.

Despite the efforts by the police to crack down on drug syndicates, the market keeps on mushrooming. "Drug use is very prevalent here. So many are into drugs, but we are shocked to learn that Bluetooth has arrived here. This is a very dangerous game because people inject themselves using the same blood to get high. They do not even fear that the blood might be infected with HIV or Hepatitis. They want to get high, no matter the consequences," said a Thulamela municipal worker, who preferred anonymity.

Munna Ndi Nnyi Men's Forum’s chairperson, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, said he was worried that the youth were losing their future because of drugs.  "Government should come up with stiff penalties for those dealing in drugs. They are killing the future of this country. What nation are we going to be with our youth losing their minds because of drugs?" he said.

He urged those with addiction problems to seek help before they reach a point of no return with irreparable damage caused to their bodies.

Limpopo police spokesperson Lt-Col Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed that they had managed to break up drug syndicates in the Vhembe region in recent times where they destroyed dagga plantations by uprooting hundreds of dagga plants.

The body of the alleged drug addict is taken away in a state mortuary van.

Items that were found next to the body of the alleged drug addict include a knife, syringes and a cap.

 Police at the scene where the body was found.

Morning shoppers who came to assist in identifying the dead man.

Just to show the easy availability of drugs: In the photo, Munna Ndi Nnyi Men's Forum's chairperson, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, is seen with dagga plants that were found at a home in Lwamondo. What is surprising is that community members saw these, but did nothing about it.

 

Date:01 February 2018

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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