By Eric Gyimah
A mother is supposed to be a nurturing and caring individual and not a falling down drunk who hardly realizes that she has a child.
There are many dangers involved with married and single mothers who suffer from alcohol addiction. They often endanger the lives of their children and their very own without realising it.
Simthandile Ford said: “My mother would often come home with drunken men from the pub leaving me at risk of being raped.”
A daughter parented by an alcoholic mother, said: “It is very hard to believe when my mother tells me she loves and cares for me, yet a few hours later she gets so drunk that she hardly recognizes me.”
Her mother had this to say: “I raised my daughter alone without the help of anyone else and I drink my own money.”
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
Bongeka Njavu, a former social worker who worked for Alcoholics Anonymous said: “Women who suffer from alcoholism usually have an in depth pain and anger that they have never dealt with.”
SANCA aims to facilitate the development, expansion and sustainability of outcome-based addiction services in Southern Africa through provision of training and consultancy services.
Corne Oosthuizen from SANCA said: “Women being referred to us for alcohol abuse have increased by 31% from last year. But more treatment referrals are being made, which is positive. Most referrals come from family and friends, followed by schools and government departments.”
SANCA is also involved with community intervention, which is community based groups of experts who reach out to alcoholics. The intervention is also visiting schools, health facilities, NGOs and government departments to help more victims and also to reach out to more women suffering from alcoholism.
The biggest challenge that these groups are faced with is that most women drinkers will not accept that they have a problem. They often justify their behaviour as just enjoying a drink or two on a bad day.
Contact SANCA on their tollfree number: 086-147 2622 and AA in the Eastern Cape on: 082-787 6973 or jumbopadayachee@yahoo.com. – WSU-SNA
Four million South Africans diabetic
By Simthandile Ford
According to the Medical Research Council of South Africa, more than 230 million people in the world have diabetes and an estimated 4 million can be found in South Africa.
Diabetes happens when your pancreas either cannot produce enough insulin, a hormone that keeps your blood sugar levels constant to burn glucose which is sugar or when the pancreas makes too much insulin.
Andisiwe Mbangi, a 28 year old mother of two from Duncan Village, one of the informal settlements of East London, is a type 1 diabetic sufferer which means that her pancreas has stopped producing insulin. This type of diabetes is hereditary and most people would already have it by the age of 30.
Diabetes is a manageable chronic illness but different social environments makes the management of the disease vary. Those variations are evident in Mbangi’s life.
“This is a very difficult disease to manage,” said Mbangi. Type 1 diabetes requires a specialised diet and a clean, dry environment which may not be easily available to people of Mbangi’s social standing.
Mbangi uses an insulin injector that requires refrigeration that she does not have. She has to watch her diet that means she has to choose brown rice instead of white rice where the price difference is R10.
Mbangi finds it difficult to manage her condition with her income that is not even consistent.
“At times I don’t even have money to go to the clinic to fetch my insulin injection.”
Dr Nelia Steyn from the Medical Research Council in a 2006 Drum article said: “The prevalent argument around diabetes in South Africa has always been the adopting of western lifestyles due to the developing mode of the country. Another argument which has been ignored is the fact of not being developed enough to understand that financial aid is needed for diabetes sufferers.”
South Africa is following a similar trend to the other developing countries such as India and China where more and more people move to the cities and adopt the western way of living.
This argument does address Mbangi’s situation and many other people in her situation, she can’t afford fizzy drinks in fact she can’t afford basic food, she can’t afford to even pay taxi fares to go to the hospital.
Dr F Pick said: “The efficiency in the primary health care system is vital, for it enhances efficient management of the disease.”
Said Mbangi: “South Africans need to have a different conversation around diabetes; the government needs to have a fresh look towards the social environment around all chronic illnesses.” – WSU-SNA
Street vendors unaware that piracy is illegal
By Samkele Letese
Pirated goods fill the streets of East London as street vendors sell them at negotiable prices. Many street vendors are unaware of the seriousness of the effects of piracy or even that they are committing any crime. Desperate to get money, they continue.
It is considered a criminal act to copy and distribute someone else’s creative work without any permission. An artist or the company that supports the artists have copyrights of the works and copying and distributing that work constitutes as stealing.
According to stoppiracy.org.za, artists and recording companies that support them lose roughly R500 millions each year to piracy and that music piracy is one of the main reasons why young and upcoming local artists don’t make it as artists in South Africa.
The theft of music, movies and online games is an on-going challenge that constantly evolves with technology. In Oxford Street piracy is a daily practice which is not even seen as a problem by the local police as they as seen making patrols.
A street vendor, who chose to be unnamed, did not see what he was doing wrong and that he was merely selling what was his in the first place.
He said: “Most of what I sell comes straight from my cell phone.”
Department of Trade and Industry Director, Simphiwe Ncwana said on Morning Live: “Our copyright laws are quite old. They date back to 1978, so we are in the process of reviewing our legislation.”
According to the DTI, the creative industry contributes 4,11 percent to the country’s’ GDP and 4.8 precent in employment.
While street vendors download, copy and sell the creative work of artists, the artists lose their income.
Owner of a cell phone repair shop, Noman Shaihk said: “Piracy is a threat to all DVD businesses like Mr Video.”
Manager of B T Games in Vincent Park said: “Piracy affects them negatively because PC games codes are easily cracked and sold for next-to-nothing, or downloaded on the internet for free. We lose sales and our distributors get mad.”
Warrant Officer S. Klaas of the East London Police Service said according to the municipal by-laws piracy was a crime, but no arrests have ever been made on those who committed such an offence. – WSU-SNA
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