Mohammed Allie BBC Sport, Cape Town

Milanzi is one of the player that have fallen fould of the law

A strict drug testing regime in South African football has exposed the illegal social habits of an increasing number of players in the country's Premier Soccer League (PSL).

While there have been a few cases of players testing positive for stimulants, the majority have tested positive for the use of cannabinoids, better known as marijuana.

Among the latest players to test positive for marijuana are Zambia strikers Francis Kombe, who plays for Silver Stars and Hilary Milanzi from Golden Arrows, as well as Bush Bucks' Kenyan defender Philip Opiyo.

Milanzi was fined $2,500 and given a suspended six-month ban and Kombe has not requested a test on a B sample, which effectively amounts to an admission of guilt.

Opiyo has since had his contract with Bush Bucks terminated while Kombe awaits his sentence.

However, drug experts have questioned the rationale for having marijuana on the list of banned substances.

Dr Shuabe Manjra, Chairperson of the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS), under whose auspices random tests are done by qualified doping control officers, says marijuana does not enhance the performance of a player.

"It's a social issue which perhaps the clubs and the national associations should address.

"Most members of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), with the exception of the United States, are in agreement with this view," said Dr Manjra.

According to Raymond Hack, Chairperson of Safa's Doping Committee, the country's testing regime is regarded by Fifa as one of the best in the world.

"We were commended for the outstanding model used for dope testing in South African football at the Fifa congress in Paris last May.

"Obviously we are very proud of our track record in this regard."

Changing habits

The latest case involving Ajax Cape Town goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs, who was in the Bafana-Bafana squad for the friendly against Australia, has shown that some clubs are still ignorant about dope testing procedures.

Josephs, an asthmatic, tested positive for the stimulant salbutamol and obtained a medical certificate to prove he needed the substance to cope with his condition.

However, the onus was on the player and club to have provided the medical certificate prior to testing.

After Safa fined Josephs and issued a suspended sentence, Fifa stepped in and ordered a mandatory six-month ban for the offence.

Ajax and Josephs are contesting the Fifa order.

One player who feels that the tough regime is helping to keep players on the straight and narrow is Jerome McCarthy.

McCarthy, the elder brother of Benni, served a one-year ban after testing positive for the stimulant fencamfamine, which is found in cold and flu medicines.