The Sunday News
Sharon Chimenya, Masvingo Correspondent
UNIFORMED forces in Masvingo Province last week joined in the fight against drug and substance abuse with a three-day sports gala where awareness was raised against the vice among the youths.
Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Cde Ezra Chadzamira who was the guest of honour at the event which ran under the theme “Alleviating Drug and Substance Abuse Amongst the Youths in Masvingo” commended the efforts by the country’s three uniformed forces.
He said the province was not spared by the scourge of drug and substance abuse saying such innovations by the police, the army and the correctional services to help deal with such issues were not only commendable but showed that the departments were concerned about the level of moral decadence among the youths.
“One drug psychologist once said that when you are fighting with an addiction every bit of support is more than welcome. You have done such a wonderful thing. It is my fervent hope that this new baby born after such hard labour will not die but live forever to address the contemporary demons bewitching our societies.
“The province faces a plethora of challenges and the honour to tackle them lies with us as a province. Vices such as drug and substance abuse, prostitution, juvenile delinquency have taken a toll on our youths and such innovations to curtail them are welcome,” said Minister Chadzamira.
He said it was important that the province consolidates its efforts in declaring war against drug abuse, with parents also taking particular attention on the behaviour of their children.
Cde Chadzamira said a responsible parent takes interest in the wellbeing of his children including identifying the peers that their children hang around with. He urged the parents to qualify and disqualify their children’s friends as bad character corrupts good behaviour.
“The realisation by the three uniformed forces that they have a mandate in their different set ups to teach societies of such evils are a milestone in fighting drug and substance abuse. The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) has a mandate to maintain territorial integrity of the land, the ZRP enforces the laws of our country and the ZPCS rehabilitates the offenders and integrate them back into the society. The interlink and correlations amongst the forces gave birth to this sport extravaganza,” he said.
The overall winner at the gala was the ZRP with 115 points followed by the ZPCS with 40 points while the ZNA walked away with 34 points.
