Bongani Ndlovu
Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]
NATIONAL University of Science and Technology (NUST) Students Representative Council (SRC) president Russell Mashinya has told students that the fight against drug and substance abuse is about connection, collaboration and building a secure community where no student is left behind.
Addressing about 5 000 students at NUST’s Anti-Drug and Substance Abuse Campaign recently, Mashinya framed the gathering as more than an event, saying: “This isn’t just a gathering; it is a movement.”
The recently held drug awareness event is part of the 21-day anti-drug campaign by Mashinya, which started in early May and ended on Friday.
The historic day culminated in an explosive cultural celebration, with electrifying performances from top youth artists, proving that the youth can celebrate and enjoy life to the fullest while keeping it 100 percent clean.
The campaign also featured football matches where NUST SRC FC played against NUST ZICOSU Chapter FC.
Mashinya linked the campaign to Government policy under President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Second Republic, saying youth empowerment is a national directive.
“The Government has made it clear: the youth are not just the future; you are the present drivers of our nation,” he said.
He credited the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Tino Machakaire, and other champions for working to dismantle drug supply lines while building frameworks for mental health support and economic opportunity.
The SRC president called on all tertiary institutions to unite against substance abuse.
“NUST, University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State University, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Harare Institute of Technology, and every single polytechnic and teachers’ college across Zimbabwe must unite! Separated, we are vulnerable. But united as tertiary institutions and the youth of Zimbabwe, we are an unbreakable wall against the scourge of substance abuse,” he said.
Mashinya urged students to police their spaces with love and actively rescue peers from the trap of addiction, adding that unity would deny drug peddlers any market or power.
He told NUST students they are the architects of tomorrow whose purpose is too vast, saying their future is too bright to ever be anchored by the trap of substance abuse.
“They talk about a crisis out there, but not here. NUST doesn’t have a crisis because this campus is defined by discipline, brilliant minds and future-shaping leaders,” he said.
He used the platform to market NUST graduates to industry.
“To all the corporate giants, companies and organisations watching, look no further. Come to NUST and get the best, cleanest, most driven workers and innovators Zimbabwe has to offer.”
Mashinya ended with a rallying call for students to stand with President Mnangagwa, support Cabinet Action Plan 3 and Minister Machakaire’s mandate.
