- Eight in 10 Zimbabweans (79%) say that drug and substance abuse is widespread in their communities, including a clear majority (56%) who consider it to be “very widespread. ”
- In the view of Zimbabweans, arresting and imposing severe penalties on drug users or offenders, educating citizens about the dangers of drug abuse, and intensifying efforts to reduce drug peddling are the three most effective strategies for reducing the problem of drug abuse in the country.
- Seven in 10 citizens trust schools (71%) and family members (69%) to play an effective role in combating drug abuse. Slimmer majorities put their faith in religious leaders (61%) and the judiciary (56%), while only half (50%) would rely on the police.
- Three-quarters (75%) of Zimbabweans think that ordinary citizens have a role to play in fighting drug and substance abuse.
Drug abuse is a problem in many countries; globally, the number of illicit drug users was estimated at 296 million in 2021 (Statista, 2024).
While reliable statistics on drug use are not available for Zimbabwe, anecdotal evidence suggests a growing crisis (Marandure, Mhizha, Wilson, & Nhunzvi, 2023; Mandura, 2023; Zimbabwean, 2021). In 2020, Harare Central Psychiatric Hospital recorded a sharp increase in drug-related admissions, from 150 cases in 2019 to 825 (Africanews, 2022). By 2021, the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network reported that drug abuse accounted for 60% of psychiatric admissions, with 80% of these involving young people aged 16-25 (Mandura, 2023). The Ministry of Health and Child Care (2023) also underscored the burden on the health system, attributing a significant proportion of recent mental health hospitalisations to drug abuse.
Apart from the detrimental health effects of drug and substance abuse, research suggests a mutually reinforcing relationship between drug abuse and unemployment, i.e. while drug abuse makes it harder to get and hold a job, high unemployment levels as seen during Zimbabwe’s prolonged economic crisis also contribute to the problem of drug and substance abuse (Nolte-Troha, Roser, Henkel, Scherbaum, Koller, & Franke, 2023; Pindula, 2019).
In 2024, President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched a Multi-Sectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan (2024-2030) that aims to strengthen enforcement of anti-drug laws and disrupt drug supply chains while also providing for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services (Sunday News, 2025). The Cabinet has also approved the principles of a Drug and Substance Agency Bill that would establish a specialised anti-drug agency (Mutize, 2024). Public information campaigns have exhorted youth to take leadership in the fight against drug and substance abuse (Nyamwanza, 2023), and traditional leaders have addressed their communities about the problem (Zimbabwean Mail, 2025).
How do Zimbabweans see the prevalence of drug abuse in their communities, and which strategies do they propose to address the problem?
In the Afrobarometer Round 10 survey, a large majority of Zimbabweans report that drug and substance abuse is widespread in their communities. To tackle this issue, survey respondents favour three key strategies: arresting and imposing severe penalties on drug offenders, educating the public about the dangers of drug abuse, and intensifying efforts to curb drug trafficking.
Most citizens say they trust schools and family members to combat drug abuse, while only half express trust in the police to play an effective role. A strong majority also believe that ordinary people have the power to help fight drug abuse in their communities.