Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Hendriëtte van Huyssteen MPL
The DA has written to the MEC for Social Development, Susanna Dantje, requesting more support in fighting substance abuse in the province.
This, after reports of a tragedy in Mosiane View, where a son brutally murdered his mother. According to reports, the incident may have been related to substance abuse.
There has been an accelerated emphasis on the social ill of substance abuse in our North West communities, highlighting the clear need for an escalated intervention plan to address the causes at their roots.
The Department’s allocation of R96.6 million in 2025/26, R95.1 million in 2026/27 and R106.7 million in 2027/28 is entirely insufficient to cater for the increasing needs of people throughout North West.
This is in contradiction to promises that the number of people receiving Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Services would increase as funding does; for three and a half years, it remained at 1,420 service users per year for much longer than this measure was originally estimated to do so – not accounting for the escalating numbers of substance abuse across the province (see extractions of the budget here and here).
The non-existent expansion of service coverage reveals how disconnected the department is from the real needs of the community. The DA is concerned that this failure is symptomatic of a department which has an inability to factor in data when budgeting and planning for a future, as well as to respond to social challenges faced by residents.
The DA is fighting for change, and we want an accountable government that delivers real solutions so we can build safer, healthier communities in North West. The DA will continue to fight for access to social support across the province so that every resident can receive the much-needed support.