DSD CONCLUDES MPUMALANGA PROVINCIAL CAMPAIGN ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE AWARENESS AT MPUMALANGA UNIVERSITY

By Evans Molimi 

• The Department of Social Development has wrapped up its substance abuse and gender-based violence prevention awareness campaign at tertiary institutions in Mpumalanga.
• The department spoke to students at the University of Mpumalanga in Mbombela on 14 February 2025.
• They were urged to focus on their studies and not fall into the trap of substance abuse.

Students at the University of Mpumalanga in Mbombela heeded the call in numbers on 14 February 2025 to learn how substance abuse and social crimes can impact negatively on their studies and consequently their future life.

The students were urged to focus on their studies and stay away from drugs.

They were participating in the Substance Abuse and Gender-Based Violence Prevention Awareness campaign, run at tertiary institutions across the province by the Department of Social Development.

The department joined forces with Higher Health, a non-profit organisation that focuses on the health of tertiary students across South Africa, as it wrapped up its campaign in Mpumalanga.

The campaign, which seeks to create awareness among students on the dangers of experimenting with alcohol and illicit drugs, was first held at the Mthimba TVET (Technical Vocational Education And Training) College in Hazyview on 12 February, after which it went to the Enhlanzeni TVET College in Barberton, before bringing it to the University of Mpumalanga.

Engaging the students, the social work manager in the Department of Social Development’s Social Crimes Directorate, Ditebogo Manana, highlighted a variety of substance abuse-related challenges facing students, particularly those staying at residences. She cited sexual assault, aggressive behaviour, violence, theft, and overdosing as key examples.

“Committing these crimes can have serious consequences for you as students, including psychological instability and difficulty in completing your studies,” she explained.

“Many of you who abuse alcohol and experiment with drugs whilst under peer pressure, end up in jail with criminal records, a situation which will eventually ruin your chances of achieving your academic dreams. You do not want to be one of them … surely you don’t,” quizzed Manana.

The social work manager emphasised that domestic violence, child abuse, and poor family cohesion, and peer pressure as the foundation that molds children into falling into the trap of social crimes. The behaviour then further manifests when a child is a grown-up and attending an institution of higher learning.

She urged students to unlearn any bad behaviour they might have experienced in their homes and from their immediate communities, and to try harder to focus on the positives.

Students were also told about the available secure care centres across the country where they could find help, as well as other services that are available to assist those suffering from substance use disorders.

The department has taken advantage of the orientation programmes run for new students at the various institutions of higher learning to spread the message of the dangers of substance abuse.

The campaign, which aims to educate young people about the harmful effects of substance abuse and create awareness about gender-based violence – and then take action to prevent and report such incidents on campus – is set to continue in other provinces across the country.