Boksburg, South Africa – The Social Development Department, in collaboration with the Central Drug Authority (CDA), is set to host the 3rd National Summit on Substance Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The event is scheduled to take place from November 14 to 16 at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg. The summit is organized in response to the high prevalence of substance abuse and illicit trafficking in South Africa, which has been adversely affecting the wellbeing of the country’s population.

According to South African Government News Agency, the summit will be addressed by Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu, accompanied by Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, and the Chairperson of the CDA, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza. The theme of the summit is “Towards sustainable, coordinated, and impactful strategies for national drug and substance use in South Africa.” The summit aims to develop a South Africa free of substance abuse through capacity-building sessions focusing on collaborative, coordinated, evidence-based, and sustainable socio-economic interventions.

The department stated that the summit will involve civil society organizations, experts, and government leaders. They will deliberate on key thematic areas including drug demand reduction, drug supply reduction, access to medicines, prevention of new psychoactive substances (NPS) diversion, governance, accountability, leadership, research development, monitoring, evaluation, and economic development.

The opening ceremony will feature speakers from various provinces across South Africa, sharing their lived experiences of being affected and infected by substance abuse. Among the speakers is former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates player Junaid Hartley, who will share his personal journey of overcoming a fourteen-year battle with addiction and homelessness in Johannesburg.