Heroin usage is on the rise as drug users become younger across South Africa, the Sunday Independent reports.

"The trend by young people to use heroin in combination with other drugs, such as cocaine and dagga, remains a serious concern," Dr David Fourie, convenor of the SA National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence's (Sanca) research portfolio committee told the newspaper.

Sanca released a report on addiction based on figures obtained from 10,000 people seeking drug rehabilitation from April 2012 to March 2013.

Forty percent of those seeking help were teenagers from Grades Eight to 10.

A nine percent increase in the number of people using heroin was noted in the most recent research period compared to the same time in 2010/11.

Mpumalanga was identified as the province with the highest proportion users of heroin, and nyaope, which contains heroin, antiretroviral drugs, and rat poison.

Fourie also highlighted that over the last seven years dagga went from being used by 18 percent of drug users to being consumed by 31 percent of users.