Mmegi

We condemn the abuse of drugs

As newsprint, we are compelled to take a hard stance against the proliferation of perilous habit-forming drugs in our society, as they continue to decimate promising young people or destabilise the mental state of our future leaders.

We take this opportunity to condemn in the strongest terms the trail of destruction the habit-forming drugs continue to leave behind. At the memorial service of the fallen artist, Atasaone Molemogi, popularly known as ATI, this week, we learnt a lot that drugs were the worst enemies to the health of our promising artists to the extent that Copyright Society of Botswana (COSBOTS) has deliberately come up with a drug combating programme to empower the artists to recover from the debilitating effects of drugs as they have realised it was killing talent.

Now, it was even more disquieting when the COSBOTS president, Letlhogonolo Makwinja, revealed that some of the artists hit hard by the drugs were currently at the mental asylums at Sabrana and Jubilee hospitals, and other facilities. This is so depressing, to say the least. We have also learnt about the brutal truth from ATI’s father, William Molemogi, that his son was into drugs. He even called upon the authorities to consider naming a rehabilitation facility in his name. On a closer reflection, the man’s call mirrored deep-seated snags in our society. The nation has to unite and combat the scourge before more problems pile up.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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