Peter's Story

My name is Peter. I am 21 years old and I am a whoong  addict. I was born in Scottburgh in GJ Crookes. I lived in Amahlongwa mission. When I was small I was staying with my mother and my grandmother. My mother was a big alcoholic. She was drinking so much. She was always coming drunk in the house.  My grandmother didn’t like that, because she was coming shouting all the time, screaming. She didn’t  do the right things everytime because always she was drinking. When I was still small, around 9 years old she left the house and did not come back so I stayed with my grandmother. My father died when I was a small child. I never saw him… never know him.

I have brothers and sisters, but they weren’t  staying in the house. They used to have their own house. They were much older than me. My small sister is staying with us.

  I carry on staying with my grandmother. She is starting to get sick now. She is getting older. She cant do nothing even if she wants to. If she wants to go to the toilet I must help her. If she wants to go to sleep I must help her. I was always the one in the house helping her

I started to go to school in Amahlongwe. The teachers is telling me I’m very good in school. They say I must make sure I’m coming every day to school. The teacher is even buying me a uniform that I can come every time.

When I was about 11 years I start to smoke dagga and cigarettes. Up to that time everything is all right except we don’t  have money. My grandmother is only getting a grant, and from that she must look after me and my sister. Sometimes there is no food, but always I’m making sure I’m in the school. I liked it by the school. I have many friends, but in the house its just me and my sister.

So in grade7 I start to smoke the dagga a lot. I got a friend who was smoking it. He used to say the dagga is making you clever for school. He was in Rossburgh (another school) . His parents were rich they used to give him money everytime.so we meet after school. Sometimes he come early in the morning before school. I’m starting to come late in the school. The teachers start to shout for me. They say I must bring my parents in the school so they can talk to them.  So I told the teacher that my mother doesn’t stay with me, she is staying there in Durban. They let me stay and at the end of the year I passed.

In high school I went to Gugewesizwe in Amandawe. I was learning nice there. I was doing well.. I was playing soccer in the school and running. But I was smoking lots of dagga and soon it is starting to feel  like its not enough for me. Then my grandmother is telling me about my fathers family. My grandfather is staying in Mtwalume. So I find a way where I can meet them. We visit nice. They asked me to come stay there with them. That is my grandfather and my fathers brother and his children  So I wasn’t going to school that time. I got a friend there in Mtwalume . He was the neighbor formy grandfather. He was older than me. I was about 13 but he was about 25  but he look younger so the people they don’t say nothing.  He was smoking the whoonga. His name was Mpiti so its like we have the same name. He taught me how to smoke this thing. He’s chasing it on the foil. At first I am not smoking everyday so Im not getting the rosta. Maybe 2 or3 times a week. So I stayed there maybe 6 months. I was waiting to get my remove from Guguwesizwe so I can go to school in Mtwalume. But then one day they catch me smoking whoonga. So they say I cannot stay there if I’m doing this thing. I must go back in my grannies house. So I go back to Mahlongwa. Now I am not having money to buy whoonga all the time, but if I got some money I buy it. I’m there but I’m not going back in the school. I’m helping my granny in the house.

At the end of that year I go to Umzinto. This is now I am 15. I meet a friend and I stay with him there in the jondolos (shacks). He got a house there. He is pushing the trolleys and pantaring (begging) there in the street. Now I start smoking whoonga all the time. Umzinto is full of people, its easier to make money there. I stay there maybe two years, pushing trolleys, selling fruit by the taxis, pantaring, living in the jondolos.

When I was 17 I went back to stay by my granny in Mahlongwa. My sister and my aunt was now back in the house to look after my granny. They start to talk to much. I’m eating the food, finishing it…They complaining there’s no money. So after a few weeks I went back to Umzinto.

This time I was fighting  with me friend in the house. He was telling me I’m not bringing enough money. He chased me from the house so I went to stay in the streets. There is a place they call the flower hotel. Lots of guys is staying there. All the paras (whoonga addicts). After one year Umzinto is getting too small. There are to many paras. Also the mammas is wanting to give me a hiding because I’m taking fruit to sell and I’m not bringing them the money. So I cant go to the taxi rank. So I walk away from Umzinto and I came to Scottburgh now.

Scottburgh was nice. It was full of white people. They have more money. Some of them don’t like you and chase but some of them they got big hearts.  First I’m not moving on the streets. Im taking stuff there in the back by Checkers and taking it to Amandawe to sell. Checkers is giving away the old food. I did that for about a year but now the paras are working there inside, and they are taking the stuff.  I start coming to do the car guarding and collecting the cans. Me I don’t do bad things. I never went even once to jail. I don’t steal I work for my money. People don’t like paras they think they stealing but me I don’t do that.

Then last year I met these guys from NA and I started to go to meetings. NA has helped me a lot . I used to have sores on my face , to be dirty and walk around not talk to anybody. I used to always be sad, always  thinking what must I do now to make my life better. Maybe it will be like this till I die.  Guys in NA is getting me medicine, is giving me some hope in life. Now I have lots of friends, I feel happy. Even if I am still using, people are talking to me, they want to know me.  They are teaching me something called the steps to help me live right. I am learning that I cant stop by myself, I have to keep going to the meetings. I have to look at the things that are making me to use otherwise I will not stop but go back. Im learning to talk to  God again … I want to learn more about it so I can change more and leave this thing now, get a new life. Me Im still young, I need to stop this thing before I get too old. I cant . because this thing is controlling my life  ..I’m trying to control it but I cant. I want to stop, to get right. I don’t want to do this for the rest of my life.