Harare’s mini malls turn into new drug dens 

Source: Harare’s mini malls turn into new drug dens – herald

Ivan Zhakata-Check Point Desk

THE rhythmic buzz of vending machines, vendors shouting out prices of knock-off perfumes and the smell of sizzling street food are the everyday sounds and scents of Harare’s central business district.

But beneath the bustling energy of these mini malls lies a disturbing undercurrent – drug peddling in plain sight.

What used to be prestigious commercial buildings – once housing banks, law firms and corporate headquarters – are now fragmented mini malls teeming with small retail cubicles.

These transformations, born out of economic necessity and rising unemployment, have inadvertently birthed the perfect cover for Harare’s fast-growing street drug trade.

A 23-year-old vendor who operates a cellphone accessories’ stall in one such mall, speaking on condition of anonymity, disclosed: “Half the people you see here are not selling anything legal. Some do not even care to stock shelves – they are just using the space as a base to distribute broncleer and crystal meth.”

Broncleer, an addictive cough syrup, and crystal meth – locally known as “mutoriro” – have become easily accessible in these malls.

A quick scan revealed teenagers wandering the corridors aimlessly.

“Some of them are runners,” said the vendor. “They pick up small orders from the back rooms and deliver them to street corners.”

Harare’s CBD has become an open-air pharmacy for addicts.

Several visits to mini malls on George Silundika Avenue, Chinhoyi Street, and Nelson Mandela Avenue revealed dim staircases and locked cubicles with coded knocks – a telltale sign of illicit activity.

“These buildings are not monitored. The landlords rent out to anyone as long as you pay rent. No questions asked,” said Mr Tendai Nyamadza, a property manager who previously oversaw a building converted into a mini mall.

“Police come once in a while, but there is no sustained enforcement.”

In one mall on Mbuya Nehanda Street, a young man was found convulsing in a bathroom in March. Mall security said he had overdosed on a drug cocktail.

“We did not even know he had entered. These guys know how to move through the buildings unseen,” the guard recounted.

Dr Charity Mutswiri, a local rehabilitation counsellor said the rise of drug-related cases was directly linked to access.

“These mini malls are now acting as informal dangerous drug dispensaries. It is not just affecting the users, but their families and communities,” she said.

“We are seeing a mental health crisis building silently.”

Law enforcement has been slow to react.

A senior officer at Harare Central Police Station, who can not be named because he is not authorised to speak said: “We know it is happening, but we are short-staffed. Many of these buildings have no surveillance and some of the dealers tip each other off before raids.”

Last month, ZRP Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba in his Easter holidays statement said the ZRP’s current blitz on drug dealers and users would continue without let-up.

Comm-Gen Mutamba called on communities to assist law enforcement by reporting known drug bases and suppliers.

“The public is encouraged to report any drug-related activities. The police will not relent in bringing to book drug barons, suppliers and users,” he said.

Parents were also urged to closely monitor schoolchildren during the holidays to prevent them from falling victim to drug and substance abuse, which has become a growing concern nationwide.

Activists and city planners said the problem stems from a lack of regulation and oversight on commercial property conversions. Urban renewal efforts have been piecemeal, and the city council has been accused of looking the other way in exchange for bribes.

While some building owners are reportedly beginning to evict suspicious tenants and increase security, many lack the resources or will.

“Unless we address the root causes – unemployment, addiction, lack of regulation – this problem will not go away,” said Dr Mutswiri.

As the sun sets on Harare’s city centre, mini malls begin to close their shutters. But in the shadows, business does not stop – it just changes form.

“We might be calling them malls,” said Mr Nyamadza, the ex-property manager, “but they really are traps.”

Government has made it clear that suppliers of drugs have to be taken to court and cannot be allowed to pay spot fines and released.

Courts can impose higher fines and jail terms.

With jail terms common for suppliers, a court conviction generates a permanent criminal record.

Last year, a Zimbabwe Drug and Substance Abuse Agency was established and approved by Government, with the scale of the problem of drug abuse seen as 6 148 suspected drug peddlers and end users were arrested since January last year.

The proposed agency has legal backing and is part of the Zimbabwe multi-sectoral drug and substance abuse plan for 2024-2030. It was approved by Cabinet.

The plan outlined a comprehensive strategic approach to address the escalating threat of drug and substance abuse to public health, economic growth, national security and social stability in the country.

Since January last year, 6 148 people have been arrested for drug-related offences, with 677 being suppliers and 5 471 end-users.

A total of 106 illegal drug and substance trading bases were raided and destroyed in Harare, Shamva, Chinhoyi, Bindura, Bulawayo and Mutare.