Some 14 years after beating the demon of drugs and substance abuse, Kabelo Mabalane is taking it back to the streets.
The award-winning kwaito musician and actor will lead a community march in Eersterust, east of Pretoria, on Saturday.
"When I left rehab 14 years ago the first place I went to was Eersterust where I joined the community in action against drug abuse.
"The scourge has worsened and I'm going back to pick up where I left off," he said.
Mabalane said the drugs have become worse with the proliferation of drugs such as nyaope.
A statement from the Eersterust Stakeholder Coalition released in February further coaxed Mabalane into action. In it, the community laid bare the hard and cold facts of their desperate situation.
Over 30 young people have died from drug abuse since President Jacob Zuma's Imbizo at Eersterust in August 2015, with a lot more ending up in ICU in hospital.
Some are now suffering from mental disturbances while others have become vulnerable to human trafficking and more are aging behind bars.
The estimated number of substance users is 15000 from just eight years old to 40.
The community called for the drug dealers of Eersterust to be charged with culpable homicide.
"Rome is burning. The situation is dire. This is a first of many activities to ensure that the message gets through to people.
"They need to hear from people who have been clean for longer or even shorter that it can be done," he said.
Mabalane celebrates a few milestones this year, 14 years clean, turning 40 in December, running his ninth Comrades Marathon.
Mabalane will address residents at Eersterust soccer stadium at the end of the march, under the auspices of the anti-substance abuse social movement by Gauteng premier David Makhura.
"I've been pushed to do something because all it takes is one generation to keep quiet for the next to be wiped out.
"I'm one sip of whisky away from relapsing, one line of cocaine away.
"As a recovering addict you're never in the clear, you must always be on guard and accountable.
"There is nothing special about me, I just listened," he said.
Kabelo fights the drug demon again
The award-winning kwaito musician and actor will lead a community march in Eersterust, east of Pretoria, on Saturday.
"When I left rehab 14 years ago the first place I went to was Eersterust where I joined the community in action against drug abuse.
"The scourge has worsened and I'm going back to pick up where I left off," he said.
Mabalane said the drugs have become worse with the proliferation of drugs such as nyaope.
A statement from the Eersterust Stakeholder Coalition released in February further coaxed Mabalane into action. In it, the community laid bare the hard and cold facts of their desperate situation.
Over 30 young people have died from drug abuse since President Jacob Zuma's Imbizo at Eersterust in August 2015, with a lot more ending up in ICU in hospital.
Some are now suffering from mental disturbances while others have become vulnerable to human trafficking and more are aging behind bars.
The estimated number of substance users is 15000 from just eight years old to 40.
The community called for the drug dealers of Eersterust to be charged with culpable homicide.
"Rome is burning. The situation is dire. This is a first of many activities to ensure that the message gets through to people.
"They need to hear from people who have been clean for longer or even shorter that it can be done," he said.
Mabalane celebrates a few milestones this year, 14 years clean, turning 40 in December, running his ninth Comrades Marathon.
Mabalane will address residents at Eersterust soccer stadium at the end of the march, under the auspices of the anti-substance abuse social movement by Gauteng premier David Makhura.
"I've been pushed to do something because all it takes is one generation to keep quiet for the next to be wiped out.
"I'm one sip of whisky away from relapsing, one line of cocaine away.
"As a recovering addict you're never in the clear, you must always be on guard and accountable.
"There is nothing special about me, I just listened," he said.
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