Govt Warns Against Illegal Drug Rehabilitation Centres

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe has warned that the Government will not tolerate individuals who exploit vulnerable families by running illegal drug rehabilitation centres.

Speaking at the Mashonaland Central provincial drug and substance abuse interface meeting, he said anyone was free to set up a rehabilitation centre as long as they followed due process.

“People are free to establish rehabilitation centres, but they must follow the procedures,” Kazembe said.

“They have to apply for registration. The Ministry of Health is responsible for inspecting the premises and licensing those who meet the required standards.

“Those taking advantage of vulnerable people, charging huge amounts of money and even abusing patients, like what we witnessed in Shamva, will not be tolerated. The law will take its course and those responsible will be held accountable.”

This follows the closure of an unlicensed facility in Shamva. Lancos Rehabilitation Centre was shut down on 21 July this year after inspectors uncovered what authorities described as gross violations of health and human rights standards.

Its owner, Lancos Kuuyangepi, 30, was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison for illegally running the facility.

Inspectors found the centre was operating without a licence in overcrowded conditions, with poor hygiene and sanitation, inadequate food, untreated injuries among patients, allegations of abuse and forced labour, and unsafe detoxification procedures.

Kazembe said the Government plans to establish a Drug and Substance Abuse Control Agency under the Drug and Substance Abuse Bill, which is currently before Parliament.

The proposed agency will be the country’s specialist body tasked with coordinating the national response to drug and substance abuse.

He said it will be headed by a Director General, assisted by two deputies responsible for enforcement and social services.

The enforcement division will focus on intelligence gathering, dismantling drug syndicates, arresting traffickers and strengthening law enforcement operations, while the social services division will oversee prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, demand reduction and the reintegration of recovering users into their communities.