Download PDFThe Eldorado Park community has a lot of drug houses in and around different surrounding areas. The community has complained about this issue for many years as it has affected not only the people with substance addictions, but the neighbourhood and people around them.
Recently community members have reported an increase in young women who have become addicted to drugs and many children are also getting exposed to it.
Jane (43), who resides in Ext 6 in Eldorado Park, has a 32-year-old daughter, Janine who has become addicted to drugs. Her daughter goes to these drug houses often and has taken her three children with at times when Jane refuses to look after them.
Jane said that Janine has been hooked on these drugs for more than seven years now, despite how the family has tried their utmost to get Janine into a rehabilitation centre to help change her life. But there has been no luck, and Jane feels the rehab actually made Janine become more addicted.
Susan (51), another Eldorado Park community member said that these drug houses are affecting their lives on a daily basis by attracting people from outside the community who rob people, break into people’s houses, cars and shops. Susan works at a special needs school and leaves the house early at 7am in order to get to work on time. “I’m afraid of walking to the bus stop due to the high robbery rate in the community and it seems as if people going to work early mornings are targeted.”
According to Hazel (43), another resident in the area, the South African Police Service (SAPS) finally took action about a year ago by closing down more than 20 drug houses in Eldorado Park and arresting 13 people. But these people are out of prison again and still continue to sell drugs, accommodate addicts and commit other crimes on their premises.
Hazel fees the police of Eldorado are failing the people and that they are being paid to turn a blind eye. Though this may not be true, with the scourge of substance abuse tearing through families in and around Eldorado Park and nothing being done by authorities to systemically change this vicious cycle, it’s not hard to see why Hazel feels this way.
This article was submitted on 29 July 2021. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article (https://karibu.org.za/drugs-and-drug-dens-making-community-of-eldorado-park-unsafe/).
