29/04/2026
National Chairperson, Mr Moses Gama's Opening Remarks :
We are the collective voice of civil society organisations across all sectors, aligned with South Africa’s national blueprint on substance use disorder—the NDMP.
We stand united for freedom and remain committed to building a safer South Africa. There can be no true freedom while stigma and discrimination continue to cost lives—especially through preventable overdoses and other avoidable harms affecting people who use drugs.
Currently, there is a critical lack of active and adequately funded structures meant to implement and oversee the **Act 70 of 2008** and the NDMP. Many key bodies—including the Central Drug Authority (CDA) Board, Provincial Substance Abuse Forums (PSAFs), and Local Drug Action Committees (LDACs)—are either not appointed, not functional, or insufficiently funded. In many areas, appointments by Executive Mayors and MECs of Social Development have not been made, and where they have, support remains inadequate.
Five years later, many NPOs continue to face the same challenges: delayed Service Level Agreements (SLAs), late payments, and excessive compliance demands—often enforced inconsistently, even by officials who do not meet the same standards themselves. Funding from institutions such as the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), companies, and government departments is still not distributed equitably, frequently benefiting the same organisations or individuals.
Our mission is to ensure that funding is shared fairly, transparently, and adequately across all civil society organisations. Where necessary, we will escalate matters to the highest levels and take collective action.
Without real, lived freedom, we cannot achieve a safer and more peaceful nation.
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Immediate Priorities
1. Extension of CDA Board members, and the urgent appointment and adequate funding of the CDA, PSAFs, and
