What is Nyaope or Whoonga?

Nyaope (also called Whoonga) is one of the cheapest, widespread, most dangerous and highly addictive drugs in South Africa. The drug emerged between 2000 and 2006 in the Tshwane townships of Mamelodi, Attridgeville and Soshanguve. It later was found being used and manufactured in Durban in 2010; following this, the drug has spread like wildfire throughout South Africa with one hit costing as little as R20.

The name was coined by drug traffickers but nyaope and whoonga have become the common street slang for the concoctions of substances (like rat poison, household detergents, ammonia, chlorine, ARVs, Brown Heroine, Tik and Marijuana) used in its manufacture. The new drug names were created to open up new niche markets for familiar drugs that had been in circulation for decades. Later, ARV medications were added to the compound to give it a more distinctive image, but not all whoonga street purchases contain these HIV/AIDS medications.