Online Reporter
Stephen Mpofu, [email protected]
A trending drug and substance supply and distribution scandal in Matabeleland South Province is rendering our beloved country a misnomer within the SADC community, if not across the African continent, particularly as more women become involved in this scandalous phenomenon.
This development compels both community leaders and the police to intensify efforts to crack down on the source or sources of the substances and drugs that are turning the southern part of our beloved country into a no-go area for law-abiding international investors, as well as foreign tourists seeking to experience the beauty of our nation.
It also calls for community leaders to work hand-in-hand with the police in tracking down offenders, who now increasingly include women — individuals who ought to be pillars of wholesome family values, playing pivotal roles in raising God-fearing offspring rather than, tragically, nurturing what may be described as the devil’s workers in the flesh.
A report carried by this publication two days ago painted a worrying picture of the situation. Police in the province reported that nearly 400 suspects have been arrested since January, of whom 169 were women — many of them possibly mothers whose notorious practices risk being emulated by their children or relatives.
The police further indicated that, of those arrested since January, 233 were referred to court, while 165 paid admission-of-guilt fines. This, however, does not necessarily guarantee that those who avoided court through payment will not revert to their old ways, as the saying goes, like dogs returning to their vomit.
In the first instance, one must ask why so many people were arrested in a province endowed with community leaders such as chiefs and headmen, as well as Members of Parliament, who ought to ensure that those under their jurisdiction are God-fearing, law-abiding citizens committed to good practices.
Under these circumstances, why should leaders of such respectable standing continue to hold office if they appear so lackadaisical in maintaining law and order within their communities?
Indeed, should offenders — better still, criminals — be allowed to pay admission-of-guilt fines and walk free when there is no assurance that they will not reoffend once released, often using illicit money presumably provided by suppliers, instead of serving custodial sentences as punishment for their crimes?
The time has surely come, in light of the revelations emerging from Matabeleland South Province, for every other province in the country to be scrutinised in order to uncover similar rot — or confirm the cleanliness demanded by the laws of our land.
Furthermore, one must ask whether Matabeleland South Province, or Zimbabwe as a whole, has become a transit route for drugs and substances originating from East Africa, passing through southern countries to destinations known only to the devil and his agents, or whether our motherland itself is a primary source of supply and distribution of these illicit materials locally. Whatever the case, our Government must spare no effort in cleansing our society so that future generations may inherit a brighter, more promising future.
For all we know, our beautiful motherland — renowned for its positive international trade relations in the global village — may suffer severe reputational damage if the scourge of drugs and substance abuse affecting parts of Zimbabwe is not decisively and permanently addressed.
