Church Steps In as Betting Addiction Drives Many to the Streets

For 34-year-old Getwell Ndlovu of Luveve, what started as casual betting has spiraled into a devastating addiction that has left him homeless and estranged from his family.

“Betting is worse than it looks — it’s just like drugs,” Ndlovu said, recounting how gambling consumed his earnings and even money entrusted to him by neighbours. Unable to pay rent, he was evicted earlier this year and has since been living on the streets.

Ndlovu admitted that in March, he lost his entire salary through gambling. Shortly after, neighbours gave him money to settle bills and buy groceries, but instead, he used it to place more bets. Overcome with guilt and fear of facing them, he chose to disappear.

“Since March, I have been living on the streets. I collect cans and plastics to recycle, making about US$9 a day — roughly US$300 a month — but every cent goes straight back into betting,” he confessed.

Like substance abuse, gambling has destroyed the lives of many in Zimbabwe, trapping people in cycles of poverty and despair. Ndlovu is among several who now rely on church feeding programmes to survive.

Church support for the homeless
Victory Fellowship Church’s Bulawayo City branch runs a long-standing soup kitchen that has been supporting homeless and vulnerable people since 1994.

“Every Wednesday and Friday, we feed over 100 people. Volunteers cook and serve hot meals, while on Sundays, church members and well-wishers donate food,” said Pastor Morgan Mathema.

The programme caters to people from the streets of Bulawayo, including those displaced from places such as Ngozi Mine and Killarney squatter camp.

“Our church began this ministry under Apostle Ken Haskins in 1994. Numbers keep growing, and at times, we serve up to 120 people,” Mathema added.

Appeal for rehabilitation
Ndlovu, one of the programme’s regular beneficiaries, now dreams of escaping the grip of betting.

“My parents last knew me as a school worker, and I haven’t had the courage to face them since this addiction took over. My only plea is for rehabilitation so I can stop betting and rebuild my life,” he said.

His story echoes those of many others who have been driven to the streets by gambling and drug addiction, or by family breakdowns.

The National Aids Council and Scripture Union, who have been partnering with Victory Fellowship Church, say these interventions aim to restore dignity and, where possible, reunite individuals with their families.

A growing crisis
Zimbabwe has witnessed a sharp rise in gambling addiction, especially among young people seeking quick solutions to economic hardship. Betting outlets, once viewed as harmless pastimes, are now being linked to deepening poverty, homelessness, and broken families.

As Ndlovu’s story shows, the dream of easy wealth often ends in despair — and without urgent rehabilitation measures, many more could face a similar fate.

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