SEVENTH Day Adventist (SDA) Church members from Emganwini district have embarked on anti-drug and substance abuse campaign.
SDA Church district pastor Ibadiah Ngwenya said the church was offering health care services to the addicts to help them to overcome addiction.
“We cannot remain passive observers in the face of the rising crisis of drug and substance abuse,” Ngwenya said during the launch of the campaign on Sunday.
The campaign runs under the theme Choose Life: Say No to Drugs and Substances.
He said the fight against drug abuse required collaborative efforts.
“The church must stand as a beacon of hope and actively contribute to the fight against substance abuse through spiritual guidance, rehabilitation support and community engagement,” Ngwenya said.
Nketa-Mganwini legislator Albert Mavhunga said drug and substance abuse was a national emergency.
“It leads to broken homes, increased crime rates, deteriorating mental and physical health and lost economic productivity,” he said.
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“If we do not take decisive action now, the future of our country is at stake.”
Mavhunga said government had taken action to curb the practice through the launch of the Zimbabwe Multi-Sectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan (2024-2030).
Emganwini Residents Association chairperson Janana Ngwenya said the programme would go a long way in combating crime. Critics attribute the rise in cases of drug abuse to unemployment and the harsh economic climate.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has called for stiffer penalties on drug peddlers.
Reports indicate that the majority of admissions at Ingutsheni Psychiatric Hospital in Bulawayo are drug abusers.
