Online Reporter
Blessings Chidakwa
Sunday Mail Reporter
IN the heart of Mbare, just beyond the bustle and struggles of Harare’s past, a quiet revolution has been stirring a place where hope, not despair, now dwells.
It was on July 15, 2025 that the Angel of Hope Drug Rehabilitation Centre was commissioned, as it flung its doors open. This facility is the brainchild of First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and her Angel of Hope Foundation.
Since then, it has blossomed from a bold vision into a powerful beacon of recovery. The first intake is now through with the initial stage of rehabilitation, with the second group of patients enrolled.
From its inception, the centre prioritised a holistic healing approach.
Built at the Stodart Arena, housing 200 patients per intake, it is designed as a nurturing haven, blending medical treatment, basic education, counselling and physical activity.
Those who have been rehabilitated are also afforded opportunities for skills training by being enrolled at vocational training centres.
From day one, demand was overwhelming.
During the initial intake, more than 600 applicants were already on the waiting list, underscoring the magnitude of the nation’s drug crisis.
For one to be enrolled, each victim is carefully screened before being admitted into the programme.
While opening the facility, First Lady Dr Mnangagwa described it as a model rehabilitation framework to mitigate the health, education and empowerment challenges faced by children and the youth who abuse drugs and substances in Zimbabwe.
“This skills and rehabilitation centre is an ostensive expression of my heartfelt motherly love, deeply rooted in the spirit of shared empathy, compassion and maternal love shared in our nation,” she said.
Barely 10 days into operations, remarkable changes began emerging: the youth who arrived under the crippling grip of addiction, unable to walk, speak, or even lift a spoon, began walking and talking again; gaunt faces regained colour, and appetites surged, doubling mealie meal rations as patients’ bodies and spirits recovered.
Their physical restoration was as dramatic as their emotional reawakening.
The centre’s heartbeat is its holistic framework. Trained coaches, medical teams and nutritionists collaborate to cleanse not just bodies, but to restore dignity.
Patients engage in daily chores, from sweeping floors to making their beds marks of newfound self-reliance.
The structured detox, counselling sessions, therapy groups and physical activity create a rhythm that nurtures both healing and discipline.
The disciplined environment fosters not just recovery, but also a renewed sense of self-worth.
Angel of Hope Rehab’s impact was felt countrywide, with Parliamentarians being among those who visited and toured the facility, ending up deeply moved.
They noted the centre’s peaceful yet structured environment, comfortable living quarters, modern ablutions and training grounds, and praised it as a national model for compassionate rehabilitation.
The Health Portfolio Committee, led by Dr Thokozani Khupe, said the love shown was beyond that of a mother.
“We appreciate the work being done by our First Lady. She has proven beyond reasonable doubt that she is truly the mother of the nation,” she said.
At the core are the stories of the individuals rediscovering themselves: a 22-year-old footballer from Mufakose had been violent and volatile.
But through structured rehabilitation, he became calmer and more collaborative, hopeful of resuming his career and becoming a role model. Female survivors of addiction shared raw, poignant tales.
One woman from Norton, during her first two weeks within the centre, described hallucinations involving snakes and violence; now, she expresses gratitude for her recovery.
“My husband was the one who would wake me up to take the drugs. We would go four to five days without sleep,” she said.
“I used to hallucinate; sometimes I would see a snake in the room. Whenever I saw it, I would chase everyone out, including my seven-year-old child. I would become violent, even assaulting my parents and siblings.”
She smiled as she shared how far she had come.
“Since coming here, all of that is now in the past. I’m truly grateful to the First Lady for transforming my life.”
The same for a tertiary drop-out, who, having once danced drunk in public and avoided food and mirrors, now has an appetite and glowing skin.
“I couldn’t go a day without drinking. When I got drunk, I would dance in bars and go home with strangers. On my worst days, I would undress in public, only to realise it when I sobered up,” she confessed.
“I would wake up trembling, with a splitting headache and nausea. I couldn’t eat, and when I looked in the mirror, I no longer recognised myself. My skin had lost its glow and my health was deteriorating.”
Now, however, she beams with hope.
“I now have an appetite; one plate isn’t enough! My skin is healing, and I am regaining my natural complexion. I am so grateful to the First Lady for giving me this second chance.”
A mother from Chitungwiza, who had isolated herself, given birth to a stillborn after being beaten by her lover, a drug lord, and suffered an abusive relationship, says: “The First Lady gave me my life back.”
As the good news about the Angel of Hope Rehabilitation Centre continued to spread, Cabinet Ministers also conducted a media tour, led by the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere, who was accompanied by the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora.
Minister Muswere said the Angel of Hope is playing a leading role in addressing the challenge by providing psychosocial support services and accommodating people from across the country.
“We are more than grateful to the Angel of Hope for the excellent work they have done in providing counselling services, psychosocial support, supporting facilities, and at the same time offering free services to all Zimbabweans as we fight this menace which is affecting the growth of our economy,” he said.
Minister Mombeshora also described the Angel of Hope Foundation Drug Rehabilitation Centre as a model for Zimbabwe’s multi-sectoral drug and substance abuse plan (2024-2030).
“This is a good example of the partnerships we are encouraging across the country, and I urge every province and district to replicate it,” he said.
For the first intake, moments of reconciliation later followed.
Parents and guardians reunited with their recovering loved ones in tearful, joyous scenes.
Some wept silently; others openly sobbed. A few, overcome with joy, sang and danced with unrestrained jubilation.
Others, in moments of pure celebration, were seen carrying their grown children on their backs, including one grandmother, trembling with joy, who hoisted her granddaughter onto her back in celebration.
One of the most heart-wrenching reunions was between a young recovering mother and her two-year-old twin daughters.
The moment the toddlers ran into her arms left even the strongest among the crowd teary-eyed.
“When I saw my children, I was overwhelmed with joy, but also partly disturbed for having been so lost. My gratitude goes to the First Lady for transforming my life. I also thank God for loving me and giving me another chance,” she said.
Both her mother and grandmother were equally overjoyed.
“I thank Dr Mnangagwa for this wonderful, life-changing programme. My child has deeply transformed since the day I left her at the centre.
“I was taken aback by the respect she showed us today. She had no time for her children before, and we were surprised to see her hugging and feeding them. They actually thought I was their mother! The transformation is commendable,” said her mother.
Amid the hugs and high emotion stood the First Lady not as a guest, but as a mother of the nation, moving from family to family, listening, comforting and embracing.
As the first intake flourished, anticipation for the second intake began to swell.
It just does not end at the Angel of Hope Rehabilitation Centre.
There is life after.
As the first group of drug survivors successfully completed the initial phase of rehabilitation, they enrolled for vocational skills training at a local training centre.
The milestone marks a major turning point for the young lives determined to shape their future.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Mr Solomon Mhlanga, thanked the First Lady for initiating the rehabilitation programme for the drug and substance abuse survivors, pledging continued support.
“We are now taking the first intake of 50 to our youth training centre,” he said.
“There is a team ready for them to continue with the First Lady’s programme of instilling discipline and teaching vocational training skills so that they are equipped with practical skills and knowledge to become self-reliant and contribute to the economy.
“As a ministry, we stand ready to take all the batches of drug survivors on a monthly basis while we offer them youth service training and vocational training.”
In their own words, the drug survivors said starting vocational training was a life-changing opportunity.
“It means I can finally build something of my own, a skill, a future, a life with purpose. I want to be someone my family can be proud of.
“I know the journey isn’t over, but for the first time, I am walking with my head held high. I am not just surviving anymore. I am rebuilding,” said one of the survivors.
Another survivor said: “I am grateful for being afforded an opportunity of going for a second phase of being taught skills. It is more than enough, as we will no longer be wandering on the streets.
“We are going to return as fully transformed people with more skills and can integrate with family and society nicely.”
The centre’s trajectory continues to be consistently upwards, from the crush of applicants to sustained results among current patients.
During the second intake of 200 patients, the First Lady interacted with parents and children during the vetting process, asking how the victims had begun using drugs, who supplied them, and offering comfort.
This led to several victims willingly volunteering information about drug dens to law-enforcement agents, resulting in a subsequent raid.
This took place in the presence of the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Cde Tino Machakaire, who had come to tour the facility before volunteering to accompany officers to a drug den in Waterfalls, led by one of the victims.
During the raid, the authorities seized several bottles of BronCleer and dagga, arresting two suspects, Mallon Katiyo (27) and Simbarashe Makumbe (24).
The operation targeted a fortified reed structure with only a small front window for transactions and a swamp at the back, making access difficult. A brief chase ensued as the suspects attempted to flee.
The Angel of Hope Rehabilitation Centre is more than a rehabilitation facility; it continues to be a symbol of national recovery and resilience.
It embodies the belief that addiction needs not strip a person of their dignity, future or identity. Here, recovery is not just clinical; it is social, emotional and humane.
The First Lady’s hands-on engagement meeting with survivors, listening to their stories and offering comfort is the centre’s soul.
It reminds Zimbabweans that in the fight against substance abuse, empathy can be one of the most powerful medicines.
As the Angel of Hope Rehabilitation Centre moves towards its other intakes, the path ahead is clear.
Administrator at the centre Mr Charles Nyamukubva said numbers don’t lie, as the centre has been receiving much attention from parents and guardians eager to bring their children.
“This facility has had an overwhelming response from parents who wish to have their children admitted to this rehabilitation centre,” he said.
The rehabilitation centre stands as a living narrative of transformation from trembling, broken souls to voices of resilience.
Under the compassionate guidance of Dr Mnangagwa, this initiative has turned fleeting hope into concrete change, one life at a time.
Tinaye Agere