Dalene Kooper

KEETMANSHOOP- The //Kharas regional police confiscate large amounts of narcotics every month, raising concerns about drug use in communities across the region. 

New Era sat down with three drug users from Keetmanshoop who explained how substance abuse can begin with lingering emptiness, unresolved pain and the desire to numb emotional distress.

Feelings of isolation, abandonment and loneliness drove 30-year-old Godfried Richter, Major and Glass to use dagga to relieve stress and destructive thoughts.

Richter consented to the use of his real name, while Major and Glass opted to use their street names.

Richter started using drugs in his early 20s and said he is nowhere near ready to let it go.

“Our background, our home situation has forced us to go into the streets and do these things. To continue using drugs, we sometimes grab stuff to sell for money.”

He shared that he comes from a home with multiple siblings. He noticed his mother directing most of her energy to his younger siblings. When he felt he was not receiving love from his mother, he started spending time roaming the streets and making friends who introduced him to drugs. “When you see you are not loved at home like others, you go out and make friends with people who introduce you to this life. And when you start, you don’t even understand what you are doing,” Richter said.

“You just feel lonely and see no worth in continuing with school or pleading for love and acceptance from your parents.”

Glass echoed Richter’s sentiments, saying he feels left out by his family.

“It just feels like you must fight for a meal at home. So, when I stress, drugs calm me down. I do not get to think the sad thoughts anymore,” Glass said.

“We get that ‘happiness’ feeling after we have smoked,” Richter said.

The smallest packet of drugs costs N$10 on the street and is easily accessible.

When asked whether they were associated with any gang groups, Richter said the word “gang” is no longer used. Instead, there are Numbers that members choose and abide by.

“We are members of the Numbers. We are Number 27. 27 only deals with the use of drugs and blood, but we mostly only do drugs,” Richter said.

The three joined the number while they were in prison for some time. They shared that this is where the gospel of numbers is taught. They have ongoing court cases for housebreaking, theft and grabbing phones.

“I have been in and out of prison for 10 years. I know that I am a bad person. I don’t know if anyone will be able to help me. Only God can stop me,” Richter said.

“Prison is home,” Major said. “I am deep in the number.”

Youth volunteer at the Keetmanshoop Multipurpose Youth Centre Ivan Mueze runs various youth programmes at the centre, targeting and assisting those who recently came out of prison and are caught up in drug use. Richter, Major and Glass participate in all these programmes.

“We invite them to participate in most of the activities we facilitate. We keep them busy through gardening; they tend to the garden often. We raise awareness through arts, acting and drama. This way, they are less likely to do dangerous things on the street,” Mueze said.

Mueze added that rehabilitating drug users into society by keeping them occupied has been fruitful, despite circumstances beyond their control that hinder their progress.

//Kharas Regional Crime Coordinator Nicodemus Mbango said drugs entering the country are a “serious concern that sadly affects the community”. He said drugs and other substances are usually discovered at border points when they come in from South Africa.

“Now the search sometimes does not yield positive results, but when we subject trucks to scanning, the scanners can detect foreign objects in the trucks,” Mbango said. The Namibian Police conduct daily operations to curb drug use in the community. Their target points are usually hitchhiking spots where buyers collect drugs for distribution in the community. “We call them runners; they collect and distribute for sale.”

Regarding gangsterism, Mbango said it is not a major issue.

“Gangsterism is a thing of the past, but you will find people grouping themselves and fighting for territories where they sell drugs, which fuels violence among them,” the regional crime coordinator said.

Mbango further urged community members to expose and report such issues in the community and fight drug abuse from all sides.

“I only want to appeal to our community members, especially those who know the drug cartels and houses that are selling drugs, to come forward. I can assure them that we will not share their identities with anyone. It will remain strictly confidential.”

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