Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
PARENTS in Zimbabwe now have a new weapon in the fight against cyber-driven drug abuse: SafeCircle, a mobile app that lets communities monitor suspicious online activity, report potential drug-related behaviour, and access support for at-risk youth.
The app is the brainchild of Doctors on the Move (DOMI), under Watchman Relief, and comes after a flurry of distress calls from parents during a Drug Awareness campaign in Bulawayo, on 15 November 2025. Guardians were desperate for help as their children were increasingly exposed to drugs through online platforms.
Professor Nathaniel KudakwaMwari, DOMI director, said the crisis demanded a home-grown solution.
“SafeCircle is our answer. The app uses AI to spot suspicious online activity and alert parents, schools, community leaders, and authorities before children fall into dangerous traps,” he explained.
Prof KudakwaMwari praised campaign partners BE FORWARD, RocoMamas, UBH, Emergency Pharmacy, TTI Parking Solutions, United Bulawayo Hospitals UBH, Church of Latter Day Saints, Global Methodist Church, and other stakeholders.
“We invite more organizations to join us in this initiative and partner with us to launch SafeCircle,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s drug problem is worsening: police records show over 15 000 arrests on drug distribution charges in 2023, and in the first quarter of 2025 alone, 7 254 drug-related offenses were reported nationwide. In Gweru, 148 arrests were made between January and September 2024, and police have destroyed more than 53 drug distribution bases across the country.
Mental health institutions are feeling the strain. Over 50 percent of new admissions at major psychiatric hospitals are linked to drug-induced psychosis or substance abuse, with 80 percent of these patients aged 16 to 25. Harare Central Psychiatric Hospital saw cases rise from 150 in 2019 to 825 in 2020, while Ingutsheni Mental Hospital in Bulawayo reported that half of new admissions in early 2024 were drug-related.
The app also dovetails with Zimbabwe’s national fight against drugs. In 2024, President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the Multi-Sectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan 2024–2030, targeting drug supply chains while boosting prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services.
MSU counsellor Dr Everjoy Masanjala Chitiyo was upbeat about SafeCircle.
“As a community, we must come together to protect our children. SafeCircle is a vital tool in this fight,” she said.
SafeCircle will debut in Bulawayo, then expand to Harare, Gweru, and other cities after consultations with police and local authorities. Features include real-time reporting, neighbourhood content filters, educational resources, community support forums, automated alerts, and a “Report a Concern” button.
Users can also access counselling and support services.
DOMI will run workshops to teach parents how to use SafeCircle and other safety apps like Aura Parental Controls, Qustodio, Bark, Norton Family, FamilyTime, MMGuardian, Canopy, Google Family Link, Mobicip, and Kaspersky Safe Kids.
With SafeCircle, communities, schools, churches, and police are joining forces in one united safety net to protect children from the hidden dangers of cyberspace.
