19 hours ago
How Sivuyisa beat substance abuse to become a taxi driver
Drug addiction is devastating South Africa's youth, destroying young lives and crushing their potential before it can be realised. Many fall victim to substance abuse and related violence, their dreams cut short by addiction.
Yet even in this crisis, stories of recovery and resilience emerge, proving that hope and healing are possible.
One such story is that of Sivuyisa, a young man who hit rock bottom as a street beggar and addict but managed to turn his life around and find redemption and is now serving as a beacon of hope for those still trapped in the cycle of addiction.
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Sivuyisa 'Lonki' Antoni is originally from Alice - Eastern Cape and grew up in Nyanga - New Crossroads township, Cape Town, where he was exposed to the harsh realities of substance abuse.
Despite coming from a stable and church-going family. He found himself affiliated with the wrong crowd and drawn into a world of of substance abuse, which made him engage in criminal activities.
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Speaking to Drum magazine, Lonki opened up about the pivotal moment that changed his life forever. In December 2011, his friendship with someone from a family deeply involved in gangsterism led him down a dangerous path. Succumbing to peer pressure and attracted by the seemingly glamorous lifestyle, he started with petty crimes like stealing clothes and other items, but his criminal activities soon escalated.
He was fascinated by his friends' hyper energy, which he later discovered was fueled by drugs.
On December 16, 2011, Sivuyisa tried his first hit of tik (crystal meth), a substance that made him feel hyper but didn't quite satisfy him.
'I remember on December 16, 2011, when I started my very first hit of tik, we were just hanging out with my friends drinking and they'd just disappear and comeback hyper and I wa curious to feel how they felt too, and I gave it a try, but it just made me hyper, and I wouldn't sleep so I figured it wasn't quite for me but I continued with it anyways because I loved the hyper activeness it gave me,' he said.
In a bid to regain stability, Sivuyisa landed a job as a packer at Spar in Gugulethu, however, his addiction soon got the better of him. He began stealing from the store, and his job was short-lived.
' I was doing my job with the hyperactiveness helping me do my day duties well, however, I started needing money to smoke to keep my energy up, as I would normally finish all my money on tik. I started stealing the most expensive yet unrecognisable products at the store like the Jacobs Coffee and cheese blocks to sell them in the township to my customers to get money for a quick fix, but I eventually got caught and fired,' he shares.
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This marked the beginning of a downward spiral. He lost his grip on his life and succumbed to the harsh realities of addiction.
He later got another job at Pick 'n Pay and got fired for the same reason, and he tried finding another job as a sales advisor at Vodacom, but still got fired.
The following year, January 2012, he switched to Nyaope (a mixture of heroin, dagga, and other drugs), and he says it gave him the high he was seeking, and he became increasingly entangled in it.
He then moved to a suburban area, Kuilsriver, to live with his aunt, and the struggle still continued.
Sivuyisa mentions that instead of being the one pulling off the heists, he would gather intelligence on the neighbourhood, monitoring the comings and goings of residents and informing his friends from the township when it was safe to break in. This modus operandi allowed him to feed his addiction while avoiding direct contact and responsibility for the crimes.
'I familiarised myself with the area and monitored every move of my neighbours, preparing for the break-ins, my family wasn't aware of my addiction yet. I'd call my friends to come do the break ins during the week and I'd go back to the township to them after the success of the mission to get my share of everything and I'd stay in the township for that week and sell the stuff until I get money then go back to Kuilsriver the following week,' he mentioned.
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As the neighbourhood became aware of the rising crime, they implemented a neighbourhood watch patrol. This frustrated Sivuyisa's plans, and he turned to stealing from his own home. He would take small, unrecognisable items like food and belongings stored in the garage. However, his family soon realised what was happening and took precautions, locking doors and hiding valuable items. Even when going to church, they'd wake him up if he was sleeping and ask him to leave the house to prevent him from stealing anything.
'The neighbourhood realised what was happening and there were watch patrols now which frustrated me so much as I couldn't steal anymore and that's when I started stealing from my own family, stuff like food and garage stored belongings. But they became aware too, which made them lock, hide things from me, and sometimes monitor my movements, such that even when they were going to church if I'm sleeping, I'd be woken up because they knew I'd steal their stuff.'
Lonki's criminal activities continued to spiral out of control, pushing his family to their breaking point. The situation reached a crisis when he broke into a neighbor's car and stole the sound system along with all their personal belongings. Faced with his increasingly destructive behavior and feeling helpless to stop it, his family made the heart-wrenching decision to send him to the Eastern Cape. They hoped that removing him from his current environment and influences would provide the fresh start he desperately needed to change his life.
'My family's last straw in deporting me to the Eastern Cape came when I broke into our neighbour's car and stole all his belongings, including his car sound system. They then deported me to the villages, hoping I'd change, but I didn't Instead, I stole from them too in EC, and they also didn't want me there, and they sent me back to Cape Town within that same week I had arrived.'
Sivuyisa knew he couldn't return to home in Kuilsriver due to unresolved issues with people he stole from. With nowhere else to turn, he resorted to living on the streets, under the bridges, and begging for survival.
'I knew I couldn't go back home, whether in New Cross or Kuilsriver, so I resorted to going to the streets and fend for myself there as I was in trouble with a lot of people at home,' he said.
On the streets, during the day he had a job as a taxi gaatjie (money operator), and he had found others with similar interests in the streets, and together at night they engaged in criminal activities. They would steal yard gates in the early hours of the morning, building bricks, cement and many other things to sell for cheap prices.
On the streets, he witnessed vile things that haunt him, many experiences that nearly got him killed, and it was these experiences that made him realise he needed to escape the cycle of addiction.
' I finally decided to go back home during COVID-19, in 2020, and asked them to help me, and they did, they took me to a rehab where I stayed for 8 months getting clean and came back sober.'
The memories of his time as an addict still linger, but he is determined to use them as a catalyst for change. He's been clean for 5 years now, chasing 6 and has been working. Through his TikTok videos, he shares his story to warn others about the dangers of substance abuse and the importance of seeking help.
