Online Reporter
Conrad Mupesa-Mashonaland West Bureau
MASHONALAND West has recorded 698 drug-related cases since the beginning of the year, with 540 of those proceeding to court and resulting in sentences ranging from 18 months to seven years.
The province has now intensified efforts to combat drug and substance abuse, with its technical committee taking awareness campaigns to traditional leaders, Government departments, churches and communities.
The figures come against the backdrop of a worsening national crisis, with Zimbabwe having recorded 7 254 drug-related criminal cases in the first quarter of 2025 alone, according to statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency.
Between December 2025 and March 2026, a further 3 193 people were arrested nationally, with 2 113 taken to court and 493 convicted as part of the Government’s ongoing crackdown.
The provincial Whole-of-Government engagement, held at Jameson High School in Sanyati this week, brought together traditional leaders, including Chiefs Neuso and Hozhele, local authority representatives, security officials, church leaders and other stakeholders, as authorities sought lasting solutions to a growing crisis.
The meeting focused on developing community-driven interventions to reduce drug use among young people, strengthen awareness programmes and ensure that those involved in the production, distribution and smuggling of illicit substances face the full force of the law.
The provincial taskforce committee comprises six pillars: Harm Reduction; Treatment and Rehabilitation; Supply Reduction; Demand Reduction; Media; and Community Reintegration and Psychosocial Support.
Sanyati Rural District Council chairperson, Councillor Stanford Chaombezvi, said that while hard drugs such as cocaine and crystal methamphetamine remained a concern, rural communities were increasingly battling the devastating effects of illegal home brews.
Chief Neuso said communities had a critical role to play in fighting the scourge, adding that he would mobilise village heads and other traditional structures to strengthen prevention efforts.
He said a young man from Arda Township had recently died under circumstances suspected to be linked to drug abuse, underscoring the urgent need for interventions.
Detective Sergeant Tatenda Tungwarara of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, who leads the Supply Reduction Pillar at the provincial level, said law enforcement agencies were intensifying operations against drug networks.
