Pretoria, Thursday, 13 February 2025: The Department of Social Development and South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA) Lowveld today carried out a voluntary assessment of 75 students at Ehlanzeni TVET College-Barbeton Campus, who participated in the substance abuse self-screening detection tool known as Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Tool (ASSIST).
The web-based tool was launched in 2023 by the Department of Social Development in 2023 in collaboration with the University of Cape Town’s Division of Addiction Psychiatry as part of the Integrated Early Intervention and Prevention Programme to curb social crime, gender-based violence, and substance abuse among students at institutions of higher learning across South Africa.
The ASSIST web app tool is a comprehensive risk assessment tool which provides a self- screening opportunity for students to assess themselves on whether they are on low, moderate, or high risk of substance consumption. The tool also provides a level of substance assessment and information and feedback about risks as well as harm associated with each substance.
The results of today’s assessment will be shared with UCT’s University of Cape Town’s Division of Addiction Psychiatry for analysis and to determine the risks of substance abuse and addiction at Ehlanzeni TVET College. This will in turn inform the development and implementation of a targeted interventions plan. Those found to be at high risk of addiction will be identified and referred to treatment for substance use disorders.
The self-screening tool serves as an early warning system at both individual and institutional level that enables the provision of early intervention services. Early intervention means identifying and providing effective early support to students who are at risk of drug addiction thus preventing addiction-related problems from in the first place.
As the institutions of higher learning’s academic year gets underway, the Department is working closely with institutions of higher learning to prevent Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), substance abuse and social crime among students around the country, focusing on public and private universities and TVET colleges. This is done through the integrated substance abuse and gender-based violence prevention campaign.
The campaign was prompted by the unacceptably high levels of substance abuse and gender-based violence in South Africa, which negatively affects the lives of young people at institutions of higher learning. The campaign is aligned to the National Drug Master Plan and the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
The aim of the campaign is to educate young people about the harmful effects of substance abuse and creating awareness about gender-based violence, and encouraging them to prevent and report such incidents on campus.
Today’s programme at Ehlanzeni TVET College at Barbeton Campus was attended by about 200 students, the majority of which were females.
The final leg of the Department’s substance abuse and gender-based violence prevention campaign in Ehlanzeni District is scheduled as follows:
University of Mpumalanga, Mpumalanga Province
Date: Friday, 14 February 2025
Time: 09h00
Venue: University of Mpumalanga, Corner R40 & D725, Mbombela-Mpumalanga Province
ENDS.
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
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