Story by Tamuka Charakupa
DRUG and substance abuse continues to threaten the future of Zimbabwe’s youth, leaving families to bear the social and emotional consequences of addiction.
While rehabilitation programmes are expanding across the country, authorities stress that prevention and early intervention remain critical to saving lives.
Communities nationwide report increasing numbers of young people drawn into drug use, with devastating effects on education, family cohesion, and, in some cases, life itself. What often begins as experimentation can quickly develop into dependency, trapping many in a cycle that is difficult to escape.
Victor Sibanda, 37, a qualified broiler maker, is among the victims of drug abuse. His addiction cost him his job, his health, and ultimately his family. Today, the responsibility for Victor and his children rests on his ageing father, Tapson Sibanda.
“My son was once hardworking and responsible. When he started taking drugs, everything changed. He abandoned his wife and children, lost his job, and became violent at times. Now he depends on me for everything, yet I am old and struggling myself. It is painful because I never expected to be raising my son again at this stage of my life,” he said.
What pains the father most is not just the loss but the wasted potential.
“Victor is a skilled man, he could be earning a living. Instead, he burns his own clothes, piles garbage around the homestead, and spends whatever money he gets on illicit beer. Watching him destroy himself like this breaks my heart,” Mr Sibanda said.
Unable to watch his son perish, Mr Sibanda sought help, taking Victor to a local Rehabilitation Centre, where he is currently admitted and undergoing recovery.
Victor is still struggling to speak, but his message is unmistakable that drugs destroy lives.
“I regret ever touching drugs. They took everything from me my family, my work, my dignity. I am suffering because of my own choices. I want to warn others, especially young people, that drugs are not a solution. They only bring pain,” he said.
At Muduvuri Rehabilitation Centre, philanthropist Mr Jimaya Muduvuri is offering recovering addicts a second chance where he is equipping them with life skills, with some going on to secure employment.
“Rehabilitation must go beyond detoxification. At the Muduvuri Pan African Hospital we focus on skills training and discipline so that survivors can rebuild their lives. When people are productive and employed, the temptation to return to drugs is reduced. Our goal is to restore dignity and hope,” he said.
As communities grapple with the growing drug scourge, Victor’s story stands as both a warning and a call to action.
The fight against drug abuse requires collective effort from families, communities, and institutions to save a generation on the brink.
