By Talkmore F Mapfumo and Shyline Majaji
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Read E-PaperThe National Anti-Drug Taskforce has pledged to intensify Zimbabwe’s fight against drug and substance abuse following a fact-finding mission at the Wilkins Rehabilitation Centre in Harare, as Government begins a nationwide assessment of rehabilitation programmes.
Speaking after touring the facility, Deputy Chairperson of the National Anti-Drug Taskforce and Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe, said the visits were part of a broader effort to evaluate progress made under the National Drug and Substance Abuse Response.
“This is the first province we are visiting. As you know, His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa established the Inter-Ministerial Committee, which I chair, to coordinate Government efforts to address the challenges posed by drug and substance abuse in the country,” said Kazembe.
He said Government had rolled out a seven-pillar action plan focusing on supply reduction, demand reduction, resource mobilisation, reintegration, psychosocial support and other interventions to tackle the drug menace.
“We are now travelling from province to province to assess the work that has been done on the ground. We started here after receiving a briefing from the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and the Provincial Committee on the progress made so far,” he said.
Kazembe said the delegation toured the rehabilitation centre, interacted with residents receiving treatment and assessed the services being offered.
“Overall, I am impressed by the work being done here. However, there are challenges that need to be addressed, particularly around security and the availability of resources. We will examine how these issues can be resolved, working together with stakeholders and Government,” he said.
He said the taskforce would continue visiting rehabilitation centres across the country to ensure Government interventions were delivering results.
“Going forward, we will continue visiting rehabilitation centres across the country. Tomorrow we will be in Mashonaland Central, followed by Mashonaland East on Friday, to assess the situation on the ground and ensure that our interventions are making a difference,” said Kazembe.
As part of the visit, members of the National Anti-Drug Taskforce donated food hampers to clients at the Wilkins Rehabilitation Centre in support of the institution’s rehabilitation programmes.
