ZC must do more to fight drug scourge

Brandon Moyo, [email protected]
AS the country continues its battle with drug and substance abuse amongst the youth, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has found itself also fighting the same problem amid growing concerns to curb the use of drugs among players.

With the year coming to a close, four youngsters have found themselves being sanctioned by the sport’s governing body in the country having tested positive for banned substances.

The drug menace has encroached into the cricket circles and is threatening to ruin the careers of promising talents.

From the four who have been suspended by ZC for drug use, two of them have made their senior national team debuts and have shown great potential. The duo is Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta, who have since found themselves out in the cold as they await disciplinary action.

The other two, who were also suspended by ZC in March, were kept confidential as a means to facilitate their rehabilitation.

Madhevere and Mavuta are said to have both tested positive for a banned recreational drug in an out of competition case recorded during an in-house doping test and were immediately suspended from all forms of cricket and are set to miss Zimbabwe’s tour to Sri Lanka next week.

The two players were charged under the ZC Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials and their positive test speaks to the problems that have engulfed many youths and other sports personalities.

With the number of youngsters continuously being caught for using drugs, it becomes worrying what the future holds for the sport in the country as its promising players continue indulging in recreational drugs.

There seems to be a bigger problem of drug abuse within the sport, something which the board should move swiftly to curb before it goes out of hand and affects many youngsters.

It is not only Madhevere, Mavuta and the other two players who have been caught for using drugs but also, former captain Brendan Taylor, last year admitted to taking cocaine.

That in itself speaks to bigger problems that need to be addressed by ZC as soon as possible to protect players.

ZC needs to take it upon themselves to address the growing concern and help prevent such cases in the future. It will require effort from the board through various initiatives such as awareness campaigns to educate players on the dangers of drug use. Apart from educational campaigns, creating support systems for players and everyone involved will go a long way in fighting the problem at hand.

It should not be ZC only that should fight drug abuse within the sport but it needs collective effort from all Zimbabweans.
What is comforting is that the fight against drug and substance abuse has been stepped up and a national committee to co-ordinate programmes to fight the drug menace has since been appointed.

The war against drugs and substance abuse is one that cannot and should not be lost and our cricketers, alongside everyone else, need to be saved.

The Government also announced that it is setting up specialised medical facilities to provide services to drug addiction and survivors of substance abuse which is a major milestone in fighting this drug menace.
— @brandon_malvin