SHAHEED Silwana and Fateema Diko opened the Ilisolakhe Rehabilitation Centre in November.
They currently have 125 addicts at the centre in Mandela Park Khayelitsha. The youngest addict is 15, the oldest is 43.
Shaheed said as a former Sanco leader, he met parents looking for help for their kids.
He realised that many of the young people causing problems ekasi were taking drugs. He spoke to Fateema, who runs a soup kitchen, and they registered the centre.
They do everything they can to get underage addicts back into school.
“With the help of the councillor, we try to get a place in school for the children, especially from schools that run night classes,” said Shaheed.
Shaheed owns a security company where he trains addicts so they can have certificates as security guards and helped them get jobs.
Fateema said her own brother stole anything he found in the house to sell to feed his addiction.
“We took him to rehab but he would go back to his old ways when he got home.
“We realised he needed more support. Opening a rehab was also motivated by my personal experience.”
Councillor Ryder Mkhutswana said addicts from Khayelitsha were being taken as far as Muizenberg.
“We need rehabs in our own kasi,” he said.
