RESIDENTS in Bulawayo’s Queens Park suburb have raised alarm over escalating cases of drug and substance abuse following the deaths of eight young people in that community.
Zimbabwe is grappling with rising cases of drug and substance abuse, prompting the government to launch efforts to curb the scourge across the country.
Community leaders say the deaths in Queens Park highlight the devastating toll drugs are taking on families, with residents calling for urgent intervention from authorities, tougher action against dealers and the establishment of rehabilitation facilities to save young people battling addiction.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage minister Kazembe Kazembe recently revealed that law enforcement agents had confiscated drugs worth more than ZiG3 billion, while thousands of suspects have been arrested nationwide.
A woman from the area shared a heartbreaking experience involving her son during an interview with Southern Eye, describing how drug abuse has drastically changed his behaviour.
“I am not really sure of the illegal substances that he is consuming, but when he comes home, he shouts at me. Sometimes he is normal, and sometimes he is completely different,” she said.
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“To say it is marijuana or something else, I am not really sure, but you can see from the way he speaks whenever he has taken the drugs.”
She said her son has lost respect for her and has become violent.
“There was a time he took a bucket full of water and poured it on me. When I went outside to report the matter to the police, he threatened to beat me up. He once slapped me, and I reported him to the police, and he was issued with a peace order,” she said.
The mother added that her son has also failed to hold down a job because he is often under the influence of drugs.
Noah’s Ark Church leader Reverend Ferbie Tshuma called for the establishment of a rehabilitation centre to assist drug addicts in the area.
“We want to take those boys in and rehabilitate them. We talk to their parents and when they agree, they can contribute a small amount at an affordable price,” she said.
“If we can help even three or five of the boys, it will make a difference because the community right now is devastated by what drugs have done to their children.”
Tshuma said she has received threats and intimidation after speaking out against drug dealers in the community.
“I am now living in fear because people are threatening me. The last person we buried last Thursday was the eighth to die. As the bishop, I am the one who leads the funeral services for these young people,” she said.
“As a church, we once identified someone selling drugs, and they are now targeting me. I am living in fear because of these threats.”
She also accused the police of failing to act despite reports from residents.
“We are getting no help. One addict even burnt his home and police refused to act. We are mobilising to house these youths, aged between 30 and 35,” she said.
“Some of them have degrees — one was a doctor — but they are now ‘shut down’ by addiction. Another was deported from Germany. They are hard-headed and even threaten to kill their parents.”
The brother of one of the victims buried last week said the youths were abusing drugs at a nearby shopping centre.
“I do not know exactly who is selling the drugs, but I know my brother used to buy them there until they killed him,” he said.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he would engage officers in Bulawayo to investigate the matter.
“I am not in Harare at the moment, but I will ask the team in Bulawayo to look into the situation in Queens Park. What is happening is very sad,” he said.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution coordination director Boetsoarelo Noko was not immediately available for comment.