Exploring the role of sport in the prevention of crime and drug use among youth in KwaNdengezi Township, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

This research explored the role of sport-based activities in the prevention of crime and drug use among youth between the ages of 14 and 24 years in KwaNdengezi Township, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. With crime and drug use increasingly seen as a social problem leaving victims in hospital or dead, and the suffering of residents in the area going relatively unnoticed, this research used a qualitative approach to interrogate the causes of crime and drug use and analyse their consequences on both the youth and community. Forty-two participants were interviewed, comprising 23 young females and 19 young males. The findings emanating from this research showed that unemployment, poverty, inequality, limited access to sport activities and facilities, peer pressure, depression and loneliness were all notable causes of crime and drug use in KwaNdengezi. Sport was found to be a transformative tool that can be used to create Positive Youth Development (PYD) and thus divert the youth from a predisposed life of crime and drug use. This is what happened in the Brazil Youth Football Development Academy which provided a safe space for youth to engage in harm reducing strategies in overcoming crime and drug use. At the broader level, the community in KwaNdengezi displayed a growing commitment to initiate sport-based tournaments which had positive effects on the young and old residents of KwaNdengezi. Hence, this study revealed that through the provisions of the South African constitution, the White Paper on Sports and Recreation, the Transformation Charter for South African Sport and the National Youth Policy (NYP) that the KwaNdengezi community can be empowered to participate in their development based on their commitment and capacities.