Thabo Bodibe
The Gauteng Provincial Government on Tuesday launched the Anti-Substance Abuse Helpline. The helpline is in response to Premier Panyaza Lesufi's commitment to intensify the fight against drug abuse in Gauteng communities.
 On 7 October 2022, Lesufi announced that the provincial government would open applications for parents and caregivers with children addicted to drugs to be accommodated at a state facility for rehabilitation. Since that announcement, Lesufi said the government has been inundated with calls from parents who wanted help for their children. 
 "One of the key mandates we gave to the Department of Social Development was to respond to the challenges of substance abuse, in particular nyaope in our communities.
 "We, therefore, felt we needed to build an infrastructure that can take the calls, screen them, and identify areas where there are problems. Today's walkabout was to launch the helpline as part of our intervention officially," said Lesufi, who was joined by MEC Mbali Hlope.
 The centre is led by trained call centre agents who will confirm client details and refer them to social workers for professional intervention. The centre will be capacitated with over 100 social workers.
"We want to take everyone willing to be assisted...nyaope is a serious problem.  We can't donate or surrender the future of our children. We really believe this programme will be a massive direct intervention to protect our children," Lesufi added.
 The helpline can be accessed at 0800 228827 GPAntiSubstanceAbuse@Gauteng.gov.za, or USSD *134*474727# and follow the prompts.