Speaking during a post-Cabinet briefing in Harare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, said that Cabinet had approved the proposed structures for the establishment of the National Committee on the Elimination of Drug and Substance abuse in Zimbabwe.
“The nation is being informed that Cabinet is deeply concerned that the drug and substance abuse scourge in Zimbabwe has reached levels which are wreaking havoc in families and threatening the core of societal norms and values. Following Cabinet’s decision at its last Meeting to establish an institutional framework to decisively deal with the menace, Cabinet has decided to set up a National Committee on the Elimination of Drug and Substance Abuse.
“The Committee will be empowered to come up with systematic and sustainable responses that will assist in ensuring that society is free of drug and substance abuse. Cabinet agreed that the Committee will use the time-tested framework which is already operational and is divided into three segments, namely: Search and Rescue; Rehabilitate; and Promote Resilience and Sustainability,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
Additionally, Minister Mutsvangwa highlighted that in the establishment of the National Committee, steps were taken to mobilise the whole society from the family unit to village headmen and chiefs, religious organisations, schools, law enforcement agencies, prisons, youth skills, training institutions as well as health centres, in order to achieve the much needed traction in tackling the drug and substance scourge.
Meanwhile, during the post-cabinet briefing, Minister Mutsvangwa also highlighted that the Cabinet had approved the Zimbabwe Early Learning Policy which aims at guaranteeing that all children learn in a health, safe and child-friendly environment. According to Minister Mutsvangwa the policy will be implemented over a 5-year period spanning from 2023 to 2027, and is supported by a detailed and costed Implementation Plan.
