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The Department of Social Development is "missing" in the drug-ravaged parts of the Western Cape, a community activist claimed outside the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, after pensioner Sedick Abrahams appeared for the murder of his tik-addict son.
"I think one of the missing actors in this whole addressing of the drug problem is [that], in previous years, you could see the Department of Social Development came out to do house visits," said Joanie Fredericks, chairperson of the Mitchells Plain Impact Association.
"That does not happen at all anymore," Fredericks added.
Fredericks was with Abrahams, who is in his 60s, and his wife Myrtle outside the court.
READ: 'There is emptiness, but there is also peace' - dad in dock over murder of tik addict son
She claimed that, in almost every other house in Tafesig where the Abrahams family had lived, there was either an active drug addict, a rehabilitated drug addict, or an addict who was in the process of being rehabilitated.
Fredericks added that there was very little support outside a rehabilitation centre. So, once somebody was clean, they end up going back to their drug habits again.
She called for support from the courts, the police and the department, and urged parents to take action instead of waiting until they find themselves in the same position as the Abrahams family.
Abrahams is accused of the murder of his son Clinton, who was 28 when he died during a fight with his father at home on January 31, this year.
At his previous appearance, the court heard that Clinton had been using drugs for more than 10 years and that the family had developed coping mechanisms, which included hiding anything of value so that he could not sell it for drug money.
'He would have hurt me'
During the argument, there was a scuffle and he said he feared his son would stab him with a knife on the table.
He managed to get hold of the knife and held it to Clinton's chest.
"He would have hurt me. I held the knife to his chest so that he would stay away from me. But he came towards me."
Neighbours took Clinton to the local day hospital. When Sedick arrived, he was informed that his child had died.
On Tuesday, his case was postponed to June 27 for further preparatory work by the State.
The results of the post-mortem are still outstanding as is a "chain-of-evidence" statement. Three witness statements have been taken already.
Outside the court, the soft-spoken Abrahams said he had placed his trust in God.
"God will decide what is right and what is wrong," he said.
"I am not the only person with this problem," he said.
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