They Are Not Just Addicts. They Are Our Children: Help Us Build a Rehab Home in Gauteng*
In Soshanguve, you know their names.
The 14-year-old boy who stopped going to school because nyaope holds him tighter than his family does. The young mother who smokes whoonga to forget that she has no job and no food. The Grade 6 learner who was offered dagga laced with something stronger behind the toilets.
This is not a faraway problem. It is in our streets.
*The crisis is getting worse, not better.*
According to SANCA Central Rand, children under 13 now make up 10% of their clients — up from just 2%. Children aged 14 to 17 make up another 34%. That means *44% of people seeking help for drugs in Johannesburg are under 18*. 4d4c
The South African Medical Research Council confirms it: 18% of all admissions to treatment centres are now people 18 years or younger, and heroin/opiates — which includes nyaope and whoonga — remains one of the leading drugs. 2446
In Polokwane, Seshego and Mankweng, health workers recorded higher levels of nyaope and crystal meth use in 2025 and 2026 than ever before, driven by unemployment and peer pressure. 8c50
Nyaope is not just a drug. It destroys the body. A 2025 study of users found 58% with Hepatitis C, 36% with TB, severe weight loss, organ damage, and withdrawals so painful they cannot bathe, eat or sleep without it. Half battle depression, many battle psychosis. f529
And the justice system is not fixing it. The NPA enrolled 87,867 drug-related cases in the last three years, but only 15% ended in conviction. Over 41,000 cases were withdrawn. Arresting them does not heal them. 2556
*Why we need our own centre*
Right now, if a parent in Soshanguve wants help for their child, where do they go?
Private rehab in Gauteng costs R15,000 to R40,000 per month. Government centres have 6-month waiting lists. Most families just watch their children fade away.
SANCA and other NGOs do incredible work, but they are overwhelmed. We need more beds. We need a centre that is in the community, for the community.
*Our Vision: The Soshanguve Recovery Centre*
We are a group of community members, former users, and volunteers from Soshanguve. We want to open a small, 20-bed rehab and reintegration centre.
Not a prison. A home.
1. *Detox and Healing (Month 1-2):* Safe, medical-supported withdrawal with nurses and social workers. Clean beds, healthy food, no judgment.
2. *Counselling and Roots (Month 3-5):* Trauma counselling, family therapy, and dealing with _why_ they started — poverty, abuse, school dropout, depression.
3. *Skills and Return (Month 6):* We won't just release them back to the same street. We will teach plumbing, electrical, computer literacy, farming, and CV writing. So when they leave, they have a reason NOT to use again.
We already have a potential building identified. We need help to make it legal, safe, and staffed.
*Where your donation goes — 100% transparent*
We are not asking for millions. We are asking to start.
- *R50:* Feeds one person in recovery for a week
- *R150:* One counselling session with a qualified social worker
- *R350:* Mattress, blanket and hygiene pack for a new arrival
- *R1,000:* Sponsors one month of skills training (tools, materials, certificate)
- *R5,000:* Helps us renovate one room to meet Department of Social Development standards
Every Rand will be listed on our Facebook page monthly. We will invite donors to visit the centre.
*They are not "junkies". They are someone's son.*
My name is [Add Your Name]. I grew up here. I have seen friends die from this. I have seen mothers cry at the taxi rank because their child is stealing to smoke. I am tired of burying 22-year-olds.
We cannot wait for government. We have to build this ourselves.
If you can donate, please donate. If you cannot donate, please share this with one person in Gauteng.
*How to Help:*murdockmsyda@gmail.com
Any amount helps on my paypal
Contact: [0813927521 name sakhile]
Location: Soshanguve, Gauteng
We will also accept: building materials, second-hand beds, kitchen equipment, volunteer time from nurses, pastors, and teachers.
Let us bring our children back to health. Let us bring them home.
_God bless you for reading this far.
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