Cherut Executive Recovery Estate hosted its pre-opening launch on the Pepermossie Farm on Tuesday (28/10). The centre is a faith-based, 21-day private rehabilitation and treatment centre for adults seeking recovery from alcohol and drug dependence.

The launch was attended by various stakeholders, including some from the department of social development, pastors, counsellors, social workers, social auxiliary workers, police, and young people.

Situated on a farm 9km outside Bloemfontein, the recovery estate promises to redefine addiction treatment through a holistic, structured, and spiritually grounded approach. The word ‘Cherut’, derived from Hebrew, means freedom, a concept that lies at the heart of everything the centre stands for.

“Not just freedom, but freedom from addiction, and freedom to live, to dream, and to believe again,” said Cherut social worker and programme coordinator Lee-Ann Uys.

“We want to be more than a treatment centre, we want to be a place of healing, dignity, and second chances. We want to be a place where every person who walks through our doors is reminded that their story isn’t over and freedom is possible.

Multidisciplinary programme

“Here at Cherut, we believe that recovery takes a community. It takes the medical care and expertise of doctors, the compassion and dedication of social workers, the emotional insight of psychiatrists and psychologists, and the spiritual guidance of pastors.”

Patients will follow a daily routine that combines individual and group therapy, 12-step guidance, relapse prevention, and life-skills development. The centre offers a multidisciplinary, structured residential programme which integrates medical expertise, psychological counselling, and faith-based principles.

The centre complies with the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act, 2008 (Act 70 of 2008), which provides for the licensing and regulation of substance abuse prevention and treatment services.

During the pre-opening launch, three individuals shared their testimonies of how they were assisted with their addictions through the Kairos Restoration Centre, a non-profit, faith-based organisation dedicated to the upliftment and rehabilitation of substance abusers and other troubled individuals.

“I am in the South African Air Force, a qualified helicopter pilot, and have been flying for almost 14 years now,” said Tebogo Mashaba. “I’ve been deployed all over Africa, and those who watch the news know the conditions we face.

“Every time I came home, I was a different person. In the force, there are tools offered to us, but I did not use them and ended up using other things, and I became a hardcore addict. 

“I nearly lost everything; it is by God’s grace that I still have a wife and a job. The tremendous welcome I received, the treatment I got from these people sitting here, was incredible. I always tell them Karois is my home, but Cherut is now my new home as well.”

Mashaba graduated from the eight-month programme and is now back at work. 

Ceherut is set to open on Tuesday, 6 January.

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OFM News/Zenande Mpame mvh