Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
WHAT started as a kind gesture from a friend during one of the darkest periods of his life nearly ended in tragedy for Charlton Vusa Moyo.
After losing both his job and his girlfriend within a short space of time, Moyo found himself battling loneliness, depression and a sense of hopelessness. Isolated from those around him, he spent most of his days shut away in his room, rarely speaking to anyone.
Then a friend stepped in.
Hoping to lift his spirits, the friend began visiting regularly. On one occasion, he arrived with a plate of scones and the two shared a simple meal together.
For Moyo, the visits became a source of comfort at a time when he desperately needed support. The friendship gave him hope and gradually helped him emerge from the emotional shell he had retreated into.
Before long, he found himself looking forward to the visits and even asking his friend to bring more scones. But what began as innocent companionship slowly took a dangerous turn. The meetings evolved from sharing food and conversation to drinking alcohol, before eventually progressing to
Codeine and other substances.
Looking back, Moyo said he never realised that the same friendship that had rescued him from loneliness was gradually drawing him into addiction.
“My friend became my source of hope, more than my family members and eventually I started going out because kwasekungiphuzela ukubuya kwakhe kimi,” he said.
His dependence on the friendship became so strong that he would sometimes leave home as early as 5AM just to meet his friend.
As his drug use increased, the substances seemed to offer temporary relief from his emotional pain.
“Some of these drugs suppress depression while some bring excitement but, on hindsight, all that is temporary,” he said.
Then came the incident that changed his life forever.
“I recall sometime in 2018, my friends and I spent the entire day drinking alcohol and consuming Codeine and other substances. At around 1AM, I fell asleep,” said Moyo.
What happened next still shocks him.
When he finally opened his eyes, he believed he had slept through a single day and woke up at around 8PM.
In reality, three days had passed.
“Three days had passed. I woke up around 8PM and in my mind I was telling myself that I slept the whole morning and day,” said Moyo.
He was at his friend’s house and immediately noticed worried faces surrounding him.
“Everyone was like, ‘Vusa what’s going on, are you okay?’”
Only then did he learn how serious the situation had become. His friends had repeatedly tried to wake him while he lay unconscious, but he showed no signs of responding.
“They shook me and I did not move and they thought I was dead,” said Moyo.
He had spent three days lying motionless without food or water.
“Believe me or not, this was on a Sunday, three days after I had fallen asleep. It was three days without water and food but just a hapless pile of a body lying still. Drugs have a deathly effect on one’s body and how I survived is actually a miracle. I believe I was half-past dead,” said Moyo.
The experience became a wake-up call.
Speaking during a recent two-day workshop organised by the Bulawayo Provincial Drug and Substance Abuse Taskforce on the outskirts of the city, Moyo said his addiction had robbed him of valuable years that could have been spent building his future.
Help eventually came through his friend’s sister, who referred the pair to a local pastor for counselling. They were later introduced to an organisation that assists people battling drug addiction.
The intervention marked the beginning of Moyo’s recovery journey.
“I realised that I lost three years of my life where I could have done something productive. I am lucky that I didn’t die and I am still alive. Sadly, my friend succumbed to drugs,” said Moyo.
Today, he has transformed his painful experience into a mission to help others avoid the same path.
Moyo now works with anti-drug and substance abuse campaigns, sharing his story with communities and young people in the hope that they will recognise the dangers of addiction before it is too late.
“It may seem difficult to come out of the drugs and substance abuse trap, but with support from both your family and other individuals as well as the willingness to let go, nothing is impossible,” he said.
His story is a stark reminder that substance abuse often begins in unexpected ways.
For Moyo, it did not start with a deliberate decision to take drugs. It began at a vulnerable moment in his life, when he was unemployed, heartbroken and struggling to cope. What started with a plate of scones and a friend’s concern eventually led him down a path that nearly cost him his life.
His testimony comes at a time of growing concern over drug and substance abuse in communities, particularly among young people. There are also increasing fears about children’s exposure to drugs and reports of drug-laced confectionery being used to introduce substances to unsuspecting learners.
The concerns have prompted calls for tighter controls on vendors operating near schools amid fears that seemingly harmless treats could be used as a gateway to substance abuse.
