Parliament, Thursday, 20 March 2025 – The Select Committee on Social Services received a briefing from the Central Drug Authority (CDA) on its 2023/24 annual report.
The CDA reported on the current National Drug Master Plan’s seven goals, which include demand reduction through prevention and treatment, supply reduction through law enforcement, control of drugs for medical use, identifying new psychoactive substances, governance and accountability, data collection and research, and economic development.
The CDA acknowledged that, overall, the substance abuse challenge persists and is worsening in communities across South Africa. Major challenges highlighted include lack of coordination and a “silo mentality” across government departments, inadequate funding and capacity constraints for the CDA and its stakeholders, poor implementation and functionality of local municipality drug action committees, continued high demand and availability of illegal drugs, need for more robust prevention programmes, and barriers to accessing affordable, quality substance abuse treatment services.
The CDA stressed the need for a new, more integrated and evidence-based five-year national drug master plan to be developed this year, with meaningful input from all stakeholders.
Members of the committee had concerns about the impact and cost-effectiveness of some existing prevention and awareness programmes, questioning why only 575 students were reached despite R20 million in funding. Members also asked if the increase in cannabis use since decriminalisation has led to a rise in related crimes.
The committee also asked about measures to address the influence of social media on teenagers’ drug use, as well as the effectiveness of the CDA’s community awareness programmes. The committee was also concerned about the functionality of the previous CDA board and vacancies, as well as the shortage of public drug rehabilitation centres.
During the engagement, members highlighted the need for better cooperation between the departments of Justice and Health to educate the public about the legal use of cannabis, noting that police are still harassing people involved in the legal cannabis industry.
The committee emphasised the greater threat posed by synthetic drugs compared to cannabis, and requested more details on the needle exchange programme and psychosocial support for users.
The Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mr Mogamad Ganief Ebrahim Hendricks, acknowledged the concerns raised and committed to working closely with the CDA and other stakeholders to address the shortcomings and develop a more impactful new national drug master plan.
Committee members indicated they will provide written questions for the CDA and the Department of Social Development to respond to in detail to further inform their oversight role and input into the policy review process.
Committee Chairperson Ms Desery Fienies said the presentation highlighted both progress made and persistent challenges in the national effort to address harmful substance use and drug trafficking.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SERVICES, MS DESERY FIENIES.
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