Bulawayo residents denounce drug dealers

Simba Jemwa, Sunday News Reporter

BULAWAYO residents believe that authorities are downplaying crimes related to drug trafficking and abuse as well as the effects to the youths and the future of the country. 

Local residents said that the rate at which youths in the city have become hooked on Class A drugs such as crystal meth, cocaine and crack cocaine was emblematic of the “total impunity” with which cartels operate in various areas of the city.

“The drug trafficking that has extended throughout Bulawayo reflects the complexity of the problem. The arrests are seemingly few and far in between, and the general populace in the city is getting worried,” said Mrs Nomsa Mhlanga a Makokoba resident.

Mrs Mhlanga said she now believes some authorities have tried to shirk their responsibility to pursue the perpetrators.

 “The police promise that they will collaborate with residents to try and fight this problem but are quick to add that the drug dealers are ‘the residents’ problem because it is your children who are dealing in and taking drugs’ and that they do not have the resources to go after drug dealers.”

Another resident underlined the inability of authorities to convict many of the drug dealers when they are eventually arrested. 

“Although there have been a few arrests, there are very few drug dealers who are convicted and go to prison. Whenever a dealer is arrested, we always see them back to their business a few days later. Now we are afraid of giving tips to authorities because these people come back to our communities and we now feel endangered whenever we reveal their activities,” said Mr Gerald Ncube from Lobengula West, adding that many residents now think authorities are providing protection to these cartels. 

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) secretary for administration Mr Thembelani Dube added his organisation’s voice to the public outcry.

 “The drug scourge is the root cause for the demise of most urban youths. As BPRA we are calling communities to work as a collective to educate and dissuade particularly the youths from abusing drugs. The challenge with drug use is that even those who are expected to be at the forefront of cleaning the streets of drugs are actually the ones working in cahoots with the offenders. In that vein, even law enforcers are sometimes the market or the peddlers thus making it extremely difficult to contain the scourge,” said Mr Dube

Mr Dube also said that residents consistently raise alarm if they notice that drugs are being peddled in their locality or if certain establishments are perceived to harbor drug pushers or consumers. He said community and public consultative meetings should also be convened to help fight drugs. 

“In extreme cases, demonstrations or petitions have been written like the Entumbane case a few years back as well as the recent Migalo (Sizinda) case. Drug dealers are not different from murderers. They may even be worse because they destroy the future of the drug abuse victims who end up committing despicable crimes to sustain the addiction life styles. In that regard, drug dealers must never get harsh long sentences to stem the problem in the bud,” said Mr Dube.

BPRA has members in all the current 29 wards in Bulawayo and drug abuse is present in most of these wards although it is most pronounced in the western parts of the city compared to the less densely populated eastern suburbs. Old locations are associated with the high prevalence of drugs due to dense populations and unfavorable living conditions exposing mostly youths to such. 

Police spokesperson for Bulawayo, Inspector Abednico Ncube said police have always welcomed community initiatives meant to help stem the drug problem in the city. He said police were willing to work with forums that are fighting drug and substance abuse.

“Any community effort to fight drugs or any crime is welcome. Once such forums are formed, we as police are prepared to work with them. Our mandate with regard to drug abuse is to solve the menace. We actually invite individuals or co-operates to expose drug dealers, both peddlers and end users,” said Inspector Ncube in a recent interview. – @RealSimbaJemwa