by Richard Chidowore
A teenage girl was recently placed in solitary confinement at a Malawi hospital. She was recovering after reportedly being given an overdose of mandrax drugs at a party in the commercial capital, Blantyre.
Malawian police immediately launched a manhunt for the man who gave the girl the drugs. They believed that the man was part of a big cartel that is giving drugs to young people to get them addicted in the hope of drawing them into the drug trafficking trade.
Abuse of dangerous drugs is not unique to Malawi. But the practice, together with illicit drug trafficking, is on the increase in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), considered by drug syndicates as a conduit for drugs destined for international markets.
The extent of drug menace, say experts in the SADC region, is accentuated by the fact that, of the 136 known drug syndicates operating in and from South Africa, 76 operate internationally, 38 in Africa and the problem is exacerbated by South Africa’s accessibility via land, sea and air routes, especially since its re-entry into the international arena. Drug lords see South Africa not only as an open door to the rest of southern Africa, but also as a growing profitable market
It was in recognition of the pandemic nature of drug trafficking and drug abuse in the region that the SADC and the European Union jointly convened a regional conference in Mmabatho, South Africa, early this month to discuss ways and means of combating the menace.
The Mmabatho conference is a result of the Berlin Initiative — launched by SADC and EU ministers in 1994 — which called upon the two regions to cooperate among others, in the area of combating drug trafficking across national boundaries. Attended by senior government officials from the SADC and EU countries as well as Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), the conference established that the traffic in illicit drugs was on the increase and, in some cases, getting out of control.
Furthermore, it was established that the traffickers had targeted the region as a transit point for drugs coming from South East Asia, the Indian Sub Continent and South America, to Europe and North America
The main reasons for targeting the SADC states as a transit area were identified as the following:
• Weaker entry points in form of Jack of adequate control measures in most SADC states; (there is a feeling within SADC that there is need to create a better basis for control that does not restrict honest travellers).
• Lack of technical expertise in the identification of illicit drugs;
• heavy traffic of aircraft or trucks on certain points of entry;
• weaker legislation (worth taking risk by the traffickers);
• the existence of corrupt practices that facilitate smuggling in some member states.
The region has also seen an upsurge in the cases of smuggling of drugs by stuffing the product in body cavities and swallowing, which has already recorded a few deaths. The methods of taking drugs in the region vary depending on the drug of abuse, but the methods include eating, drinking, chewing, smoking or inhalation, sniffing as well as injection.
Most of the SADC member states have no clear drug policies concerning treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts. This is evident by the fact that there are no treatment and rehabilitation centres in most SADC states.
The Mmabatho conference called for measures to publicise the dangers associated with drug abuse to be put in place.
Although South Africa and Zambia were identified as disseminating information on drug trafficking, most of the SADC states needed coordinated government and NOOs programmes at school or youth level. It was observed that the media has not been utilised to disseminate information on the dangers of drug trafficking and drug abuse.
Most member states are not signatories of the UN Conventions on drugs and some of the member states which are signatories have not ratified them. It is of crucial importance that the states ratify the Conventions because cooperation among drug law enforcement agencies may not be possible without having uniform legislation. This will make it possible mutual legal assistance in areas like money laundering investigations and controlled delivery operations.
Establishing similar legislation on drugs should not be very difficult for most SADC states since they to track drug traffickers across borders and to have a similar legal system which is based on the Roman/Dutch system.
One of the issues that came up during the Mmabatho Conference that most of the drug law enforcement officers in the region lack the necessary training which would make them effective. Apart from lack of training these officers are ill-equipped to detect illicit drugs.
But one of the main reasons cited for the apparent inability to stop the flow of drugs through the region is the fact that the countries of SADC have not sought to address the problem collectively.
“The SADC region lacks extradition arrangements and a framework for cooperation. “This has often led to the manipulation of these weaknesses by drug traffickers, thereby allowing many criminals to get away with light sentences or scot-free,” said CM Lekaukau, chairman of the SADC Standing Committee of Officials.
Perhaps the greatest cost arising out of illicit cross·border drug trafficking is the human tragedy. These include the lives lost to drugs, violence, the prevalence of the sense of hopelessness, prostitution and moral decay. This has been especially evident in Europe and United States which have been trying to deal with the problem for more than 30 years.
The Mmabatho Conference heard that Cannabis, or itself in combination with alcohol and psychotropic substances like mandrax, continues to be the most abused substance and is spreading among younger age groups. Other drugs that continue to be abused in the region include cocaine, khat and heroin.
According to a psychiatrist Peter Lewis from Jamaica – a country in the Caribbean region where drug problems have been confronted for decades – the use of drugs by young people is of particular concern, as teenagers are at a very vulnerable stage of their development.
“Each decision can have a long range impact on their quality of life. Important identity issues are being dealt with and it is a time when peer pressure is most intense and experimentation is expected and sometimes demanded,” he said.
It has also been suggested that drug use in adolescence impair normal maturation and development in a wider area than that of formal education. For example, when alcohol and other drugs are used, young people find it difficult to acquire healthy skills for overcoming social awkwardness, or for tolerating anxiety and boredom.
Many studies have found variables that are associated with the use of drugs and the development of psycho-social consequences.
Among these variables are the following:
• knowledge of drugs and attitudes promoting use;
• low self-esteem;
• impulsivity and sensation seeking;
• childhood stress and trauma;
• children who feel alienated and are at odds with the dominant social values;
• antisocial behaviour during early adolescence and failure or Jack of interest in school.
The conference also established that individuals experiencing addiction live with regular disruption in their lives.
They often experience accidents, injuries, illness, loss of income, strained relationships and involvement in crime.
Drug trafficking does not only impact negatively on interstate relations in southern Africa, but also on the political and economic stability, especially as far as the successful implementation of reconstruction programmes and economic reforms is concerned.
The drug menace has negative effect on the community structure where drug abuse necessitates stricter border and visa control which affects the freedom of both trade and individuals, which the
SADC is currently promoting.
It was also established that there is no quick solution to drug trafficking and abuse. The factors leading to this menace will have to be addressed in such a way that the vicious spiral of drug-related crime can be checked.
And it was in the same spirit that the Mmabatho Conference adopted the SADC Draft Protocol on
Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking in the region and recommended that it be processed by the Community in accordance with its procedures for the approval of Protocols.
In the words of South African Major General CJD Venter, the problem of drug abuse comprises two main components, namely supply and demand.
“The main goals of any strategy to address this problem must be to reduce the supply of and diminish the demand for drugs. To combat drug related crime effectively, a multi-dimensional approach, demanding multi-professional assistance, may be the answer,” observed Venter. (SARDC)
