He said they have witnessed a drastic increase in drug abuse by pupils across the country and are themselves now worried.
The Congress of South African Students (Cosas) believes the only way to curb substance abuse in South Africa is through closing the country’s borders.
Its national treasurer Bethuel Zunguza said they believe the new ANC leadership that will emerge in December will do something to ensure the borders are closed.
He delivered the pupils movement’s message of support at the SACP’s Red October rally in Mpumalanga, where Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed as a keynote speaker, on Saturday mid-day and said that they themselves are now worried as these drug-sellers target them who are supposed to be the future of the country.
“Even myself one day I will lead this ANC,” Zunguza said while on stage.
“We believe that the leadership that will be elected in December will make sure that we close our borders and limit the number of foreigners coming to the country.
“Our community is full of outsiders,” he said to applauding crowds in black CR17 t-shirts at the Mbombela rugby stadium.
“These foreigners come here and sell drugs to us young people and police don’t arrest them because they pay them bribes and this thing has become a fashion in our country. Nobody stops it. Instead of it being stopped it gets worse and we have a leadership that is sitting, doing nothing about it. We call on the new President who will take the country after December to close our borders,” Zunguza said.
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“Drugs flocking into our country everyday and we know the people who sell these drugs in the townships but police can’t arrest them because they are getting something from them.
“We believe that President (pointing to Ramaphosa) when you take over you will prioritise the issue of drugs because we are the future of this country and these drugs are killing us,” he said.
He said if nobody took this seriously South Africa won’t have a future as the youth would have long been finished by drugs.
The communist rally at the rugby stadium, organised to spearhead Ramaphosa’s campaign for the fiercely contested ANC position of president, also saw SACP national deputy chairman Thulas Nxesi as well as Cosatu national deputy secretary Solly Phetoe. SANCO Mpumalanga deputy secretary Linda Dhlamini also spoke, delivering the organisation’s message of support as well as Thembi Siweya, the NEC member of the ANCYL, delivering the league’s message of support.
The YCL in their message of support called on President Jacob Zuma to not commit the same blunder as Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe of ” imposing” his wife.
“That woman will never be the president of Zimbabwe,” Tinyiko Ntini said.
(edited by ZK)
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