Lack of empowerment fuels drug abuse

Bulawayo councillors have blamed the alarming rise in drug and substance abuse among youths on the city's failure to effectively implement empowerment programmes and create sustainable economic opportunities.

The concern was raised during the latest full council meeting, as revealed in the Bulawayo City Council's Gender, Safety and Health Section Performance Report.

Ward 9 Councillor Mmeli Thobeka Moyo said the city's unemployment crisis and the lack of youth empowerment initiatives were driving many young people into drug and substance abuse.

"If the city residents had benefited from empowerment programmes, the number of those affected by drug and substance abuse would have decreased," Moyo said. "Many young residents are jobless and have not benefited from the city's initiatives, which has led to increased stress levels and drug use."

Councillor Felix Takunda Madzana echoed Moyo's sentiments, saying slow implementation of council resolutions and excessive bureaucracy were hampering community development.

"If all council resolutions had been implemented, some of these challenges would have been resolved. Donors have also faced a lot of red tape, causing the city to lose valuable donations," Madzana said.

He added that several ward proposals for projects under the 3% ward retention fund remained unimplemented, and called for a special meeting to address the matter — a suggestion supported by Councillor Nkosinathi Hove Mpofu.

Hove Mpofu highlighted that areas like Cowdray Park continued to face severe service delivery challenges. "There are many illegal vending activities in Cowdray Park because no vending bays have been allocated. Development has been very slow due to delays in implementing resolutions," he said.

Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart urged councillors to be proactive and push management to ensure timely implementation of key resolutions.

He commended Ward 27 Councillor Lizzy Sibanda and council officials for successfully completing a long-pending water pipe upgrade in Pumula South, which restored water supplies to 49 affected households.

"Councillors should identify resolutions in their wards that have not been implemented. It is also the role of committees to check if resolutions are being acted upon," Coltart said.

Bulawayo is currently grappling with rising cases of drug and substance abuse among youths, coupled with the proliferation of illegal vending, particularly at night. Council officials warned that the unregulated vending activities are littering the city and straining its already limited service delivery resources.