ABSTRACT
This chapter is on Indian origin communities in Durban, South Africa, and their politics of self-help. Our research explores and interprets a few tangible and symbolic meanings visible in an initiative against substance abuse. Spearheaded by a set of concerned actors in Chatsworth, Durban, under the banner of an organization called Anti-Drug Forum; a politics of self-help against the use and prevalence of illicit substances is being waged successfully. Having gained a critical support base from people of Indian origin in Durban since the early years of the 21st century, the home-grown effort brings about a liminal integration across inter- and intracommunity contexts. What comes to light through this ethnographic, actor-centric analysis is a democratic philosophy of action in addition to an entrenched protest in demand for security, well-being and freedom from the soicopathies created by substance abuse in post-apartheid South Africa.
