BOIKIE Khumalo (27) is angry! A self-confessed nyaope addict, he spends R300 a day on his habit and finding the money isn’t easy.
But now he’s got a new worry - he could go to jail for his habit!
So could his dealer, but that’s not his problem.
“The government should arrest the dealers, not the users,” said Boikie, who lives in Mamelodi East, north-east of Pretoria.
Under a new law, people convicted of possession of nyaope can be fined or jailed for up to 15 years.
Convicted dealers can be slapped with fines or locked up for as long as 25 years.
Worried nyaope user Papi Ndlovu (21) had a different spin on the issue.
“I regret the day I started smoking nyaope but authorities must send us to rehab instead of jail,” he said.
“I think government must build a rehab centre where they can take all the nyaope addicts for treatment.”
Someone who is very happy with the new legislation is Mamelodi East Community Policing Forum chairman Eddie Mnguni.
He said: “Nyaope is a big problem in the kasi, especially in Mamelodi East where many young men and women are smoking it. They steal everything, even a teaspoon, just to feed their habit.
“I hope the new law will help to reduce crime in the kasi.”
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