THE EDITOR, Madam:
It’s sad that Harare, Zimbabwe is in the grip of a deepening drug abuse crisis that is systematically destroying its young population. What was once dismissed as a social problem affecting a few has now grown into a national emergency, driven largely by chronic unemployment, economic collapse, and the apparent failure or unwillingness of authorities to confront powerful drug networks.
In Harare’s high-density suburbs, drug abuse has become a daily reality. Young men and women, many of them educated but unemployed, gather openly to consume substances such as crystal meth (commonly known as mutoriro), illicit alcohol, marijuana, and abused prescription drugs. The scenes are no longer hidden, they unfold in broad daylight, raising urgent questions about law enforcement and governance. Zimbabwe’s unemployment crisis lies at the centre of this catastrophe. With formal employment opportunities scarce, thousands of youths graduate each year into an economy that has little use for their skills. Factories have closed, industries have shrunk, and informal trading has become the default survival strategy. Drugs have filled the void offering temporary escape from hunger, despair, and social exclusion.
However, the drug epidemic cannot be explained by unemployment alone. A growing public outcry points to the role of powerful individuals and networks operating with apparent protection. Despite periodic police crackdowns and publicised arrests of low-level offenders, the supply of drugs remains uninterrupted. This has fuelled widespread suspicion that elements within positions of power and authority are either complicit or deliberately turning a blind eye.
If drugs were truly being fought with seriousness and integrity, citizens ask, how do they remain so readily available? How do dealers operate openly in communities without fear? And why do major drug syndicates rarely face justice, while the poor and addicted are criminalised?
The cost of this failure is devastating. Families are collapsing under the burden of addiction. Crime has surged as desperate youths resort to theft and violence to sustain drug habits. Mental health disorders are on the rise, yet rehabilitation centres remain few, under-resourced, and inaccessible to most Zimbabweans. Instead of treatment and reintegration, addicts are often met with police brutality, imprisonment, or social abandonment.
Political leaders frequently speak of youth empowerment, yet tangible action remains elusive. Youth funds rarely reach intended beneficiaries. Vocational training programmes are insufficient. Entrepreneurship is promoted rhetorically but strangled by inflation, lack of capital, and policy inconsistency. In the absence of real opportunity, drugs have become both a business and a refuge.
Zimbabwe stands at a dangerous crossroads. Without urgent and transparent intervention, the country risks losing an entire generation to addiction, incarceration, and premature death.
Accountability must begin at the top. The fight against drugs cannot succeed while corruption and political protection persist. Zimbabwe must choose between confronting the truth or burying another generation.
NEWTON TAPIWA MPOFU