Premier Ebrahim Rasool has called on the youth of the Western Cape to tell drug dealers to 'Tik Off'.

"If drug dealers want to sell you Tik, or they want to give you a sample to experiment with, don't fight or get into trouble with them - just tell them to 'Tik Off'," Rasool said.

"My message to the youth of our province is simple: Tik will destroy your hopes and dreams for the future. It will bring you and your family endless pain and suffering. Tik will destroy your life, so don't even dare to experiment with it. The best way to prevent Tik addiction is to stay far away from it," he said.

Rasool also urged parents and teachers to pay close attention to their children so that they can detect the early warning signs of Tik abuse.

"We want parents to spend more time with their children so that they can recognize those tell-tale signs such as hyperactivity, lack of concentration, violent and aggressive behaviour, irregular sleeping patterns, to mention but a few."

"Tik has devastating effects on our youth and the Western Cape Government is determined to work together with the police, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and, most importantly, our communities to stop the destruction which Tik is sowing across our province," said Rasool.

The Premier was speaking at the launch of the 'Tik Off - There is Hope' awareness campaign at the Golden Acre in the Cape Town city centre. The campaign is part of the Western Cape Government's war on drugs, gangs and crime. Premier Rasool identified Tik in his State of the Province Address in February as one of the Western Cape's most serious challenges. The 'Tik Off' campaign is a public-private partnership which has seen a host of government, non-government and private entities joining hands in the fight against Tik. Rasool launched the campaign with Community Safety Minister Leonard Ramatlakane, First National Bank Western Cape Executive Ashiek Manie and Good Hope FM DJ Diggy Bongz, amongst others.

"The 'Tik Off - There is Hope' campaign is crucial to creating awareness about the effects of 'tik', especially on the youth of our province but also the effects on families and entire communities. Whilst government and the police are hard at work trying to crack down on the supply of drugs such as 'Tik', we cannot and will not succeed if communities do not join hands with us. Equally important is the battle to cut the demand for drugs like 'Tik' - and that is why this awareness campaign is so important."

'Tik Off - There is Hope' is endorsed by the Departments of Social Development, Education and Community Safety, the South African Police Service(SAPS), The Golden Acre/Investec, Good Hope FM, First National Bank(FNB), Western Province Newspapers/Media 24, Hip Hop Media Lounge, the Medical Research Council, City of CID, SANCA, LifeLine, the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre and a host of other stakeholders.

Enquiries: Shado Twala, Premier's spokesperson, 083 640 6771.

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