Determined to turn over a new leaf following the notorious ‘dagga day’ viral video, Leondale High School learners are taking to the streets this Youth Day (Thursday, June 16) to officially wage war against the prevalent use of drugs among learners, and essentially the persistent drug trade happening on school grounds.
The learners will be joined by parents, the school governing body and concerned Leondale community members – and those from surrounding areas – in a solidarity move which aims to nip in the bud, the prevalent drug problem ‘among adolescent learners’.
It is alleged that the drugs sold at the school are coming from the Leondale community itself and surrounding areas as incidences of drug traffickers targeting unsuspecting pupils have on a high.
The march would see a true revival of the fearless revolutionary spirit of 1976 youths in today’s generation of young people, as they take head on, the fight against drugs, “which is destroying the youths of South Africa at the fastest rate than apartheid did,” World Changers Candidates (WCC) chairperson, Lucas Mahlakgane said.
Nceba Ngwenya and Katlego Mabena – as the learners who were seen in the viral video showing Leondale High School pupils smoking dagga on school premise – will, along with representatives from WCC lead the day’s programme and share solutions upon the end of the march.
They will use the day to call on the Department of Education and community leaders active in drug use prevention to assist the school to develop ongoing, effective sustainable drug education policies and anti-substance abuse awareness programs.
The meeting of a heart and a soul: the making of ‘Say No’ anti-theme song
The march comes two weeks after the launch of the anti-drug theme song ‘Say No’ by the Gauteng-based non-profit anti-drug
organisation, World Changers Candidates.
Conceived through “the meeting of a heart and a soul”, as Mahlakgane best puts it, the song is produced by renowned South African musician Thapelo Khomo, of the legendary Stimela band, while the much-loved Mzansi actress and TV personality Buhle Samuels gave her all during the recording of the song at The Music Academy of Gauteng in Benoni as the songwriter and vocalist, ultimately giving South Africa its first official anti-drug theme song, with a strong message against substance abuse.
The two were inspired by their own personal experiences of how the ‘drug epidemic’ has taken a heart-breaking toll on South Africans and their families.
The song will be available later this month on various streaming platforms, with proceeds from its sale go to support the organisation’s anti-drug programmes.
Leondale Secondary School Youth Day drug fight / article update (Friday, June 17): this is an update of the original article above, published on Wednesday (June 15).
The images below were taken during the march on Youth Day, (Thursday, June 16) led by Leondale Secondary School learners, World Changers Candidates, community residents and the school’s governing body who took to the streets of Leondale to officially wage war against the prevalence of substance abuse among school learners.
Click the YouTube video below to watch Newzroom Afrika’s coverage of the event.
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