Zimbabwe: Govt Expands Fight Against Drug and Substance Abuse

Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Advocate Mercy Dinha says the government is strengthening efforts to fight drug and substance abuse through public awareness campaigns, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

Speaking at Messianic Family International Church, Dinha said the anti-drug awareness programme had brought together young people, churches, schools, communities and inmates from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) to raise awareness about the dangers of drug and substance abuse.

"We are here at Messianic Family International Church. You can see that there is public awareness of drug and substance abuse and you have seen the youth dancing and denouncing substance abuse," she said.

Dinha said under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), the government is placing emphasis on rehabilitation and reintegration of people affected by drug and substance abuse.

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"In our public awareness, we usually involve the community, we also involve the schools as well as the churches. That's where the church comes in concerning drug and substance abuse," she said.

She said inmates from ZPCS also took part in the programme adding that prisons are now correctional facilities focused on helping offenders change their behavior.

"They are here because the prisons are now correctional facilities because we are saying they should correct their mistakes; they should correct their behavior. So it's all about correcting and reintegrating them," she said.

Dinha said the government plans to establish 138 rehabilitation centres across the country so that people affected by substance abuse can receive treatment before being reintegrated into their communities.

"So far we have six government rehabilitation centres which are there and they are free, and some of them are private centres. For one to go there you have to fork out about US$800 to US$1 500 which is not affordable. So we are planning on building rehabilitation centres," she said.

She added that the government is also taking action against drug peddlers, saying more than 32 000 arrests have been made.