ABSTRACT The following thesis explored a specific subculture called skhothane, or izikhothane in the plural, which has taken root amongst the male youth in South African townships. Izikhothane are primarily concerned with music, fashion, dance and linguistic prowess in relation to their counterparts. They performed against their counterparts in order to gain status, prestige, fame and renown. These in turn were exchanged in some instances for other desired outcomes such as access to women. This study explored the intersecting factors that have caused the rise and transformation of this subculture. The contextual factors can be understood as historical, economic, and social. Other factors such as masculinity, gender, race, ethnicity and class seem to be playing a role in the meanings that izikhothane make and the lenses through which the view themselves and their urban spaces. In addition to the above the izikhothane were looked at in relation to subcultures that were formed during apartheid, such as comrades, tsotsis, comtsotsis and pantsulas, for example. This has given an idea of the continuity associated with subcultures and the generational factors that lead to their formation. The frame work that was used, for the most part, to critically understand this practice was primarily taken from Foucault’s conception of space, Winnicott’s formulation of transitional spaces, Bourdieu’s ideas of capital, and Erikson’s work on youth identity.

The trend of new drugs entering the drug market has intensified in South Africa. Currently in South Africa, there is a fairly new drug on the market known as nyaope which is being abused mostly by the youth in the townships. Nyaope is a drug consisting of heroin, dagga and other elements like rat poison, cleaning detergents and even crushed antiretroviral drugs. Failure to find a solution to drug abuse can lead to economic problems and handicap the social development of the country, as well as threatening the life and health of the people involved. In the South African context, the value of aftercare has been downplayed and there has been relatively little emphasis on aftercare and reintegration services in both research and practice. Therefore, it was the goal of this study to explore and describe the aftercare needs of nyaope users from both the users' and the significant others' points of view in Hammanskraal. In order to achieve this goal, a qualitative research was adopted to explore and describe the aftercare needs of nyaope users from both the users' and the significant others' points of view. Due to the nature of the study, the researcher had two sampling groups, namely (1) nyaope users and (2) significant others. The study was guided by a collective case study design. Semi-structured interviews were used as a data collection method for this study and two distinct interview schedules were developed and used for nyaope users and significant others, respectively. The researcher aimed at answering the following two research questions: (1) "Based on the views of nyaope users, what are the aftercare needs of nyaope users in the Hammanskraal community?"; and (2) "Based on the views of significant others, what are the aftercare needs of nyaope users in the Hammanskraal community?" From the raw data, the researcher implemented thematic analysis as stipulated by Braun and Clarke (2006) in analysing the data. The researcher used credibility and triangulation in establishing the trustworthiness of the data analysis. The findings from the two sets of samples were unpacked in three sections, namely, findings from the nyaope users, from significant others and the combined data with the aim of triangulation. The key findings from nyaope users and the significant others are as follows: The key findings from nyaope users were that nyaope use has a negative impact on the physical, psychological, spiritual well-being of the users. Causes of relapse were identified as a lack of support from the government and family members, personal problems that users encounter during the recovery process, going back to the same environment and being coerced to go for treatment. Furthermore, nyaope users indicated that they value the trust of community members that is often lost and can be regained by a change of lifestyles following treatment and getting volunteering opportunities in order to create awareness at local schools. The users indicated that they could achieve total abstinence if they can change the type of lifestyle they were living before, such strategies include going for treatment, adopting a more conducive and healthy lifestyle, get adequate support from their families, attending group sessions following treatment, the implementation of an adequate aftercare programme that could assist in preventing relapse, the creation of employment and spiritual support during and post treatment. The key findings from the significant others were that families are victims of theft due to nyaope users' stealing to sustain their habits. As a result significant others are left with feelings of disappointment and hurt. Nyaope also impacts negatively on family relationships in a manner that there is a lack of communication and ineffective communication among family members. The significant others identified the causes of relapse as a lack of educational programmes in communities, high unemployment rate, a lack of spiritual support, inadequate aftercare programmes and the return to the same community and friends following treatment. Significant others also indicated that nyaope users require volunteering opportunities in communities as a form of reintegration and that nyaope users need to change their lifestyles following treatment in order to regain trust from the community. Significant others recommended that nyaope users require support from family, spiritual support from spiritual leaders and psychosocial support in order for them to maintain total abstinence. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted