Sizinda’s silent crisis: Drug-laced snacks sold to unwitting students

RESIDENTS of Sizinda have raised the alarm over the presence of unscrupulous vendors near school premises, allegedly lacing snacks with narcotics. During a community-led crime prevention campaign, voices were raised against these covert operations that target young, unsuspecting students with drug-infused confectioneries.

A concerned citizen expressed the gravity of the situation.

“This drug and substance abuse issue is escalating with each passing day. Our children are at the mercy of this scourge.

There is a need for school authorities to concern themselves with vendors selling food items outside school premises and these include pancakes, scones, freezits, you name it.

“To an unsuspecting eye, these are genuine vendors and while it may be true for some vendors, it’s not the case with all of them. Unbeknown to everyone, these people clandestinely mix their items with drugs such as dagga and even meth.”

The method is simple yet alarming — dagga seeds are ground into a fine powder and mixed with regular baking flour, then sold to children as innocuous treats.

“Teachers may be surprised to see a child behaving in a strange way in class, that child will now be intoxicated and what is sad about some of these drugs is that once you take them, willingly or ignorantly, you will feel an urge to repeat it.

You will realise that these children like to buy from certain vendors because to them they will be thinking that is where they get tasty scones,” revealed a Mr Banda, a local resident.

The issue was previously highlighted by Cde Jabulani Sibanda, Zanu-PF provincial chairman for Bulawayo Metropolitan province, during a school event. Echoing these concerns, Mr Sevino Ncube lamented the loss of young lives to substance abuse and pointed out the proximity of nightclubs to residential areas as a contributing factor.

The campaign saw participation from various community stakeholders, including law enforcement, city council members, educators, health councils, and religious groups, all united in the fight against this growing menace.