More than two-thirds of UB students hooked on dagga
Tumelo Mouwane | Friday March 6, 2015 14:15
According to UB Environmental Science lecturer, Bontle Mbongwe, the study involved 450 students at the university. “The results reported that most drugs are available in the university. Out of 450 students, 13 percent were doing cocaine, 68 percent used marijuana and 70 percent consumed alcohol,” she said.
This week, the UB’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Committee held a consultative forum in Gaborone to come up with interventions to stop the abuse of drugs and alcohol in the institution.
For the university to successfully fight the scourge, Mbongwe said the right facilities and resources are needed. “The university also needs measures that will help those affected by the use of alcohol and drugs so that they can recover,” she said.
“They also need adequate information facilities to educate students about such endeavours.”
Mbongwe said an additional challenge in the battle against addiction is that Botswana only has the Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital for victims of drugs and alcohol. Otherwise, patients have to go to South Africa for rehabilitation.
“This makes it hard for the university to achieve its mandate particularly the war on drugs,” she said.
“We also have to look at everything holistically. It is not just about alcohol and substance abuse and the effect on the student community. This is also about the effect on the university environment.”
The Botswana Substance Abuse Support Network (BOSASNet) clinical programme manager, Kegomoditswe Manyanda has said a major concern at the university is the use of hard drugs by young girls. “BOSASNet is mainly concerned about the use of cocaine amongst girls at UB. Young girls end up going into prostitution so that they have money to buy cocaine,” she said. Manyanda, a clinical psychologist, said BOSASNet had spotted rising instances of ecstasy and cough syrup abuse in the university.
“Some of the students don’t know how to deal with life situations,” he said. A trouble spot in the university has been identified as the students’ bar popularly called 411. It is understood the now-closed bar was a rendezvous point for wealthy men and desperate young girls.
The bar, which closed last year, also facilitated the abuse of alcohol and illegal substances in the university. However, the closure has not stemmed the rise in substance and alcohol abuse, speakers at the forum said. “The closure of the bar did not produce much change as access to alcohol remained uninterrupted,” said student and club leader, Sally Tjivasera.
A second year finance student, Rowina Kablay had even more disturbing revelations for the forum. “Security officers drink alcohol and use drugs with fellow students. They also supply students with drugs. Who is responsible for supervising the officers? What about the level and standard of their work?” said Kablay.