22 Apr 2025

By Esther Mmolai 

MAUN -  Some residents of Maun have appealed to the government to consider establishing a rehabilitation centre to reduce the effects of substance and drug abuse among young people. 

They decried that substance and drug use were prevalent among youth in Maun despite efforts such as education campaigns meant to sensitize them about the consequences of drugs and believed that a rehabilitation centre could be a lasting solution as those attending addiction treatment would learn necessary tools for building a productive, health and happy life. 

Residents aired their complaints during a kgotla meeting addressed by the Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Lawrence Ookeditse, citing that the level of drug abuse by young people including school going children was horrendous and a cause of concern and called for action. 

Drug usage, they said, led some youths to criminal and anti-social behaviour while on the other hand, affected teaching and compromised learners’ academic performance.

 The situation, they noted, was compounded by some parents who either sold drugs to learners or give them to sell to their colleagues. 

Ms Grace Mahuma, one of the Maun residents, said: “There is an undeniable link between substance abuse and delinquency. Our children are abusing us physically, emotionally, socially and economically because addiction to drugs.

 We are afraid to talk to them because drugs swing their moods and the proposed centre can provide a permanent solution to the problem of drug addiction.”

 Ms Mahuma said drugs, she said affected children’s mental health as they change their physical, psychological and emotional function and believed that centre could offer treatment to help individuals identify and overcome the underlying issues that started their addiction.

 The Chairperson of the Umbrella Village Development Committee for Maun East, Ms Kegomoditswe Ndulamo, also highlighted that one of the challenges facing Maun today was substance and drug abuse and concurred that construction of a rehabilitation centre was ideal.

 Challenges emanating from the use of drugs by pupils, she said, rendered parents difficult to manage due to bad behaviour adding that the drugs were also destroying the future of tomorrow. “Young people who persistently abuse drugs often experience an array of problems including health related and academic difficulties among others. 

However, the Deputy Council Secretary for Primary Health Services, Dr Sandra Maripe- Ebutswe, also pointed out that drugs were a concern in the district citing that even in health facilities, they were dealing with conditions caused by use of drugs among youth.

 Dr Maripe-Ebutswe informed the gathering that construction of a rehabilitation centre had been among the proposed projects in the Local Authority Key Issue Paper (LAKIP), a document which outlines all critical issues in the district, which the DDP)/NDP would address through different programmes and projects. She hoped the project would be approved and funded to pave way for commencement.

 The Secretary for Primary Health Care, Dr Mareko Ramotsababa, told residents that the government was equally concerned over rampant usage of drugs among young people and as such, they could not establish the second rehabilitation centre as there is one being built at Serowe. 

The government identified Old Serowe Institute of Health Sciences to establish the first national substance use treatment centre which would provide both in an outpatient rehabilitation services.

 He said it was advisable to complete the facility and ensure its function first instead of establishing more centres as they may end up being white elephants. “Once it is completed and functional as expected, we will assess if there is need to establish the second one or more across the country,” he added. BOPA