Leondale students on the march against drug abuse

Siyabonga Sithole

Instead of speeches from politicians, pupils from the Leondale High School took to the streets of Leondale as part of their march against drug abuse in the community.

The school, notoriously known as dagga school, came under the spotlight following a video showing pupils openly and publicly smoking dagga on the premises.

To counter the drug problem at the school as well as within the communities, the school organised a March to highlight the dangers of dagga and other drugs with learners, reincarnating the true revolutionary spirit of 1976 youth.

They took to the streets of Leondale to lend their support for the anti- drug campaign organised by Lucas Mahlakgane and members of his organisation, World Changes Foundation.

Mahlakgane who runs an anti drug organisation, told this newspaper how he got involved with turning the situation around when the school contacted him to intervene and run an anti drug campaign.

It has since culminated in the recording if a theme song entitled Say No, as well as other campaigns aimed at discouraging young people from taking drugs.

“More learners have since taken part in the campaign that we began after the school trended on social media (screening) a video that showed pupils smoking dagga.

“This March is part of our fight against the widespread use of drugs by young people in the school and in the community in general. So, instead of speeches, we decided to engage the learners on a 5km walk around the community and visiting some of the drug hotspot in the area,” Mahlakgane said.

The march was a joint effort between the learners, parents and the school governing body of the notorious Leondale High School as a way to bring about awareness on the dangers of drug addiction and drug use in the community.

Mahlakgane said it was important for everyone to get involved in denouncing the prevalent use of drugs among learners on the day that is earmarked for celebrating the youth of 1976. It comes just before World Dagga Day on June 26.

“We thought it important to spend the day fighting the scourge of dagga usage in this community ahead of World Dagga day on June 26.

“This is particularly important because drugs are killing young people. We, as the older generation, have made it fashionable to dress in uniforms and get drunk on June 16, which is not why this day is about.

“We as the older people are the ones who have created this bad image which is now being emulated by young people,” he said.

It is alleged that the drugs sold at the school are coming from the Leondale community itself and surrounding areas as incidences of drug traffickers targeting unsuspecting pupils are said to be at its highest.

The march could see a true reincarnation and revival of the fearless revolutionary spirit of 1976 youths in today’s generation of young people who are faced with a different monster called drugs.

Reincarnating what June 16 meant back then as multitudes of brave students mobilised their communities to oppose the heinous apartheid regime, today’s youth is faced with the new enemy called drugs.

Yesterday,  Leondale High School learners emulated what Morris Isaacson students did 46 years ago. They led parents and community members at large to support the fight against this new enemy, which is destroying the youths of South Africa at a faster rate than apartheid did.

Nceba Ngwenya and Katlego Mabena as the learners who were in the viral video showing Leondale High School pupils captured smoking dagga within their school premises, participated and led from the front.

This was following the intervention made by World Changes candidates in rehabilitating and mentoring them. They spent the day sharing their experiences and offering other young people solutions on how to tackle their own fights against drug abuse.