Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
The government has intensified efforts to combat the growing scourge of drug and substance abuse in Matabeleland North by equipping district task forces with the skills and knowledge needed to drive prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programmes at the community level.
The latest intervention has seen stakeholders from across Hwange District undergoing a two-day Drug and Substance Abuse Training Workshop last week, the final in a series of trainings rolled out across all seven districts of the province.
The programme, coordinated by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare through the Provincial Drug and Substance Abuse Task Force, follows similar workshops held in Lupane and Binga as part of a nationwide strategy to strengthen community-based responses to drug abuse.
Participants drawn from Government departments, traditional leadership, religious organisations, law enforcement agencies, health institutions and development partners were taken through the legislative framework governing drug and substance abuse, resource mobilisation strategies, referral pathways, legal and policy issues, and the role of the media and community leaders in addressing the vice.
Speaking after the workshop, Matabeleland North Provincial Social Development Officer, Mr Sicelo Nyathi, said the trainings were aimed at building the capacity of district structures responsible for coordinating anti-drug initiatives.
“The objective of these trainings is to build the capacity of our District Drug and Substance Abuse Task Forces to effectively prevent, respond to and address drug and substance abuse at community level,” he said.
“We are equipping them with up-to-date knowledge on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.”
Mr Nyathi said the workshops targeted stakeholders who make up the seven pillars of Zimbabwe’s multi-sectoral response framework, including Government ministries, traditional leaders, religious leaders and development partners.
The trainings come at a time when Zimbabwe continues to grapple with increasing cases of drug and substance abuse, particularly among young people, prompting Government to declare the problem a national concern and establish structures to coordinate responses from national to village level.
Under the National Multi-Sectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan (2024-2030), Government seeks to strengthen prevention programmes, improve access to treatment and rehabilitation services, and enhance community participation in combating drug abuse.
Mr Nyathi said all seven districts in Matabeleland North had now received the training, with the province expecting district committees to take the campaign to grassroots communities.
“All seven districts of Matabeleland North Province were covered. We started with Lupane on June 11 and concluded with Hwange on June 19. Participants were selected through the Whole-of-Government approach based on the membership composition of the seven pillars as outlined in the National Multi-Sectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan,” he said.
“This is not a once-off exercise. The Provincial Task Force is now handing over the baton to the District Task Forces, who will cascade the training to ward and community-level structures. We want this knowledge to reach the grassroots.”
Mr Nyathi said the province would continue providing technical support and supervision to ensure the programme achieves its intended outcomes.
He acknowledged that obtaining accurate statistics on drug and substance abuse remains a challenge due to under-reporting at district level.
“We do have data; however, it is incomplete. We have experienced under-reporting at district level largely due to a lack of capacitation. That is precisely why we conducted these trainings- to improve the quality and frequency of reporting by empowering those on the ground to gather accurate information from the grassroots,” he said.
“We expect a significant improvement in our data going forward.”
The issue of reliable data collection is viewed as critical in informing policy interventions and directing resources to communities most affected by drug and substance abuse.
Speaking at the close of the workshop, Chief Whange urged participants to transform the knowledge gained into practical action within their communities.
“As traditional leaders, parents and community members, we all have a responsibility to put into action the lessons we have learned. Let’s work together to raise awareness, support those affected and create a safer and healthier future for our communities,” he said.
Chief Whange commended Government and its partners for investing in capacity-building initiatives aimed at protecting young people from the dangers associated with drug and substance abuse.
The anti-drug campaign forms part of broader national efforts to build healthy, productive and resilient communities in line with Zimbabwe’s development agenda.
Drug and substance abuse has been identified as a threat to socio-economic development as it contributes to school dropouts, crime, mental health challenges, family breakdown and loss of productivity among youths, who constitute a significant portion of the country’s population.
