Drug Smuggling Is A Source Of livelihood For Some But A Death Trap For Many

Drug abuse has become a common scenario among youths in Bulawayo. Image by The Blogging Doctors

BY LIZWE SEBATHA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | NOV 19, 2020

Illegal drugs sourced through cross border smuggling are abused mostly in Bulawayo’s high density suburbs. The dealers make a killing but the extent of the abuse is unknown, still, the consequences are dire— particularly amid COVID-19.

BULAWAYO (The Citizen Bulletin) — When Admire Moyo lost his mother 5 years ago, friends gave him a highly intoxicating street drug as a means to escape the pain.

Moyo, who had already lost his father years earlier, says the pain of losing his mother was too much to handle.

“I ended up relying on street drugs to calm me down, and became addicted quickly.”
Admire Moyo, a 23-year-old

An underground network of drug dealers is making a killing selling highly intoxicating substances in Bulawayo, despite being illegal and banned in Zimbabwe, the drugs are easy to source and are mostly smuggled from South Africa.

However, as they share the smoke, they also increase their risk to COVID-19. Smoking or sharing of cigarettes is cited as a known risk for COVID-19 transmission.

South Africa banned tobacco products for months to minimise COVID-19 transmission.

Earlier this year, reports indicated that drug abuse was on the rise in some Bulawayo suburbs during the tight lockdown restrictions.

In the past two weeks, the majority of new COVID-19 infections recorded in the country have been from Bulawayo, with the Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube indicating that plans are underway to assess the need to implement localised lockdowns in the most affected areas within the city.  

Studies show there is a high prevalence of chronic diseases among drug users and many are at risk of respiratory distress and death if infected with COVID-19, despite these risks the use of drugs remains rampant.

Drugs such as chemically treated marijuana called ‘skunk’, white-sniffing-powder known as tik and broncleer cough syrup are popular among the youth, The Citizen Bulletin established.

BronCleer is manufactured in South Africa.

BronCleer commonly known as "bronco" is highly addictive. Image by NewsDay

According to the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, BronCleer is not licensed for sale in Zimbabwe, even with a prescription.

  “I recently smuggled 66 boxes and I made good money.”
Bheki, Toyota Quantum driver that plies the Johannesburg-Bulawayo route

Cross border traders charge 2 500rands for a box of 50 BronCleer bottles and in turn drug dealers sell each bottle for 70rands, thus making 1000rands in profit from a full box and 20rand from each bottle.

A 100ml bottle of BronCleer used to contain over 90 % alcohol before it was revised to 0.5% following rampant abuse.

BronCleer contains codeine which is a group of compounds called lipids, which when taken in small quantities control pain and reduce cough.

When taken in large quantities it reduces inhibitions and gives a sense of euphoria such as one gets from harder drugs such as heroin.

“That is why you find guys after smoking it feeling sleepy. From the moment when you get the fix, you forget all the problems,” Moyo adds.

Tik commonly referred to as ghetto cocaine in the high density suburbs is a white powder that contains crystal methamphetamine (a nervous system stimulant), extracted from ex/reject Japanese cars exhaust silencers and packed into small sachets. It is sold for 80rands a pack.

Addicts take Tik the same way as they do cocaine.

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Vehicles have varying amounts of the powder and rogue mechanists remove it and sell it to drug peddlers.

On the other hand, skunk is also smuggled into Zimbabwe by cross-border traders who buy a cob of the drug for about 400rands in South Africa and repackage it into about 60 sachets for resale. A small sachet of Skunk is sold for 25 rands.

Moyo and his friend Samuel Chidangwara, both unemployed, say they gamble to raise funds to purchase the drugs. Gambling is popular among the youth in the high density suburbs.

Chidangwana adds that the prevailing water shortages have also provided easy income to buy the drugs.

“With water shortages we take a push-cart and go and get people water from the borehole. We charge 100 Rand for a full cart.”
Samuel Chidangwara, another drug addict

A 2019 research paper titled: “Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among Young People in Zimbabwe: A Crisis of Morality or Public Health Problem” shows that the prevalence of drug abuse is at 57% among young people.

The researchers identify peer pressure, breakdown of the family support system, limited knowledge about the effects of drug abuse and stress as the major factors that drive substance and drug abuse among the youth.

Police and youth based organisations could not provide statistics on the extent of drug abuse in Bulawayo though noting that the practice is rampant among the youth who seek ecstasy despite severe adverse health implications.

“It is difficult to give statistics on [illegal] drug abuse because it has been there from time immemorial. But, as police we always investigate and arrest drug peddlers,” says Bulawayo acting police spokesperson, assistant inspector Nomalanga Msebele.

The health ministry has reported that currently 57 % of all admissions to psychiatric institutions are attributed to substance abuse with Donovan Tshuma, a medical doctor, warning drug abusers of death.

“In large doses (of Broncleer), codeine depresses the area of the brain responsible for breathing and this unfortunately leads to episodes of overdoses and in some cases, death from asphyxiation,” says Tshuma.

“Other components in these preparations include Promethazine and Diphenhydramine. These work against allergic reactions but in high dosage will also lead to respiratory depression. Therefore, a combination of all these substances in one medicine can have very severe effects if taken in large doses,” Tshuma adds.

Despite warnings of the dangers of drug abuse, addicts like Moyo say they enjoy the feeling of ecstasy after taking the substances.

“Ngoma for example is superb. When I take it I get so high and enjoy the feeling,” Moyo says.

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