The Sunday News
Langelihle Ndlovu
WE have become a lost generation that finds comfort in the wrong things that ruin our lives.
Twelve year olds are craving top of the range alcoholic drinks.
Kids, as young as primary school ages are smoking mbanje as a way to flex and show how “cool” they are.
Smoking mbanje
Is this not a mad scenario?
I remember this other day when I was on my way home from a vendor’s stall in the neighbourhood, and this kid shouted to his friend that they would meet later on to buy marijuana.
I froze.
I literally had to turn back and have a look because the voice sounded so young to be saying such.
He must have been 12 years old.
I have some of my age mates who have dropped out of school and all they do all day long is smoke and drink.
It is a routine.
From sunrise to sunset.
Their so called “side hustles” are just a means to get money so they buy imbanje and alcohol.
Now the sad part about this is that people who sell to these kids do not even care to enquire about who they will be buying for, all they care about is getting money.
It is two sides of the coin story.
We meet addicts day in day out on our way to school asking for “esincane” so they can go buy imbanje and the moment you say no or say that you do not have anything to give, you become a victim.
We cannot be scared of going to school because of such.
May we please have rehabilitation centres being used to help heal the menace that our peers have become.
Businesses have become so greedy to an extent that even kids under the age of 18 get into bars and are not asked to present their Identity Cards at the entrance.
Fathers pass on the beer glass to their children, with no one laying blame or seeing evil.
The same people we rely on to ensure that law is implemented are setting a bad example by doing the same thing, worst of all in their school uniforms.
Adults are scared to even discipline these youngsters out of fear.
What kind of a world is it where adults are now scared of their own kids because of what these drugs turn them into?
Let us not forget the police.
They too fall in the web.
Some are even seen drinking in their uniforms.
It is of paramount importance that something is done about this because what we’ll end up having is a generation without anything good to pass on to the next generation.
Langelihle Ndlovu is in Upper Six and an honourable councillor at the Bulawayo Junior City Council
