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Struggling youth and parents at Walvis Bay turn to drugs amid poverty and trauma

‘FOR MY CHILDREN’ … Young drug users and dealers at Walvis Bay say they sell drugs to put food on the table.

Andre*(27) holds his three-month-old baby in his arms outside a run-down apartment at Walvis Bay.

A few toddlers are running around the premises, while young, unemployed mothers and fathers sit around in groups.

“This is the same picture you will find every day. All these people are tired, hungry and frustrated. Most of us are under 30 years old,” he says.

Andre says they did not choose to sell and use drugs.

“People judge, but do not bother to ask,” he says.

As the youngest child of five, his world crumbled when his father became sick and was eventually laid off from his job.

“I dropped out of school and found small jobs. People, however, look at where you come from and decide what they want to pay you.

“Imagine working from six in the morning till late at night and earning a very small salary you cannot use.

I was cheated so many times and also verbally abused. I finally decided to start earning money in my own way,” he says.

Selling and using drugs landed him in a lot of trouble during his teenage years, including multiple arrests and becoming known as a notorious burglar in the community, he says.

FATHERHOOD

Andre says fatherhood has, however, made him reflect on his lifestyle.

“I still sell drugs, but do not use them any more . . . Our area is often raided by the police, looking for drugs. I see the terror in the children’s eyes when it happens.

“I want to stop, but how can I do it when life is this hard?” he asks.

TRAUMA

Elise* (24) says she started dealing in and smoking drugs to escape trauma.

“I was in an abusive family environment since I was three. I ended up in a children’s home. My father fetched me on weekends and usually molested me.

“He raped me at 13. I did not know how to handle it, so I started using and selling drugs. I, however, never sold it to children,” she says.

Elise says she found a job at a lodge after Grade 10, but her mom suffered a stroke two months later, which made matters worse.

She is now trying to stop smoking and has tried to look for employment for the sake of her two children.

“It is hard to find a decent job, as I am usually turned away and verbally abused. I also would not trust a person like myself, but how about giving us just one chance?”

SUCCESS AT LAST

Anita*( 26) was raised by a mother who provided for her children by selling drugs, until she started using it herself.
After this, the children were left to take care of themselves.

Anita is the oldest of eight siblings and says she had to leave school to take care of them.

“I was working at a fishing factory after Grade 10. It became hard after the Covid-19 pandemic, leading me to sell drugs to adults.

“I see the children in this town falling into the trap.

They are very young. It hurts, because I can relate. That and the realisation of my children going through the same cycle made me stop,” she says.

Anita says she finally found employment, but it was tough.

“It is understandable. Nobody would trust people like us, but it still hurts.”

She says her customers were often people with relationship problems.

Diana* (62), the mother of a young man says although it is not her desire for her son to sell drugs, it is a way for him to take care of himself and his family.

“Circumstances have led him to drop out of school. He could see how we were suffering. He really tried, but was often cheated by employers.

“I remember the frustration when he told me that he would never work for others again,” she says.

‘FOCUS ON ROOT CAUSE’

Linwill van Wyk, a community policing officer at Walvis Bay, who has overcome drug addiction, says: “For some, addiction is not the problem, but the solution. People get addicted to solve a problem.

“We need to focus on the root problem.”

Erongo police commander commissioner Nikolaus Kupembona in November said he was concerned about the youth comprising the majority of drug users in the region.

Drugs worth N$2.7 million were discovered in the region from 1 January to 31 November 2024.

*Not their real names.

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