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Black youth bear brunt of drug cocktail

Young men and women are hooked to third-grade heroin mixed with rat poison, detergents and HIV/AIDS medicine.

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A nyaope addict mixes cheap marijuana with tobacco in preparation of smoking the drug
By Ihsaan Haffejee
Published On 17 Aug 2014

Johannesburg, South Africa – A toxic blend of cheap third-grade heroin mixed with rat poison, cleaning detergents and anti-retro viral AIDS medicine results in the highly addictive substance called nyaope. It is a street drug that has been at the forefront of the destruction of much of the black youth in South Africa’s impoverished area’s for a few years now.

In South Africa’s largest city Johannesburg, large groups of homeless youth gather under a highway bridge at the edge of the city and abuse the drug.

At R25 ($2.50), the price for a small package of nyaope in the inner city is slightly cheaper than in the outlying townships where the drug sells for R30 ($3). The price difference attracts many young addicts to the city even if it means running away from home and living on the streets, such is the addictive qualities of the drug.

Hundreds of Johannesburg’s homeless and destitute can be found living under the highway bridge that runs through the city. Strangled by poverty and marginalised by society, they utilise the underside of the highway bridge as a shelter against the unforgiving elements.

The powdery white substance of nyaope is poured into a rolling paper containing a mix of cheap marijuana and tobacco
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A young nyaope addict is seen smoking on a joint containing the drug
The addict is seen intoxicated by the drug just after smoking the toxic substance
Young nyaope addicts rummage through disused construction material in the hope of finding some scrap metal which they can sell to purchase the drug
Under the highway bridge in Johannesburg, a young addict stands by the fire with others as he enjoys a few slices of bread which will most likely be the only thing that he eats for the rest of the evening
During the early evening more and more youth return to their informal shelters under the bridge. They sit around the fire and smoke nyaope till the late hours of the night
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A young addict is collects disused construction material away from a dump site. He will salvage from the material some scrap metal which he can sell for small amounts of cash
A man is seen smoking the drug nyaope at the entrance to his tent home, which is built with plastic and cardboard
Elias Sibanda, a homeless man who lives under a bridge, says the drug is destroying these kids