By Delicious Mathuthu
Gokwe, Zimbabwe – As the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) continues its fight against the cultivation, use and possession of illegal drugs in the country, police in Gokwe arrested two women found with
more than two bags of lose and prepared dagga (mbanje) on the 15th of August 2024.
The two women, Rosemary Siangumbula (47) and Queen Sijima (39), who are co-wives, were apprehended for possessing the dagga at their homestead in Siyachangura Village, under Chief Simuchembo in Gokwe North.
Midlands Police Spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko, said a tip-off from the public led a team of police officers to the suspects’ residence, where they found the dagga in separate huts belonging to the two women, who are married to one John Mudhenda (51).
During the search, police recovered four 20-litre buckets and a small plastic bag containing prepared dagga from Siangumbula’s hut, and a sack full of loose dried dagga from Sijima’s hut.
The suspects were taken to Gokwe Police Station for documentation before appearing in court on August 17, 2024.
The recovered dagga is being held as evidence, and its street value is yet to be determined, Inspector Mahoko said.
The incident follows a string of arrests in Gokwe for similar offenses. In recent months, several individuals have been arrested and charged for cultivating and possessing dagga.
On July 3, 2024, another woman, Shylet Magigani, along with two other individuals, Brian Kuruwa and Talkmore Muzondiwa, were arrested in Village Kuruwa, Gokwe South, for cultivating and possessing dagga, also known as cannabis.
A total of 6,500 live plants and 170 kgs of dried dagga were recovered.
The accused were convicted and sentenced on July 4, 2024, at Gokwe Magistrate Court.
Meanwhile, the police have urged the public in Zimbabwe to report any information related to drug possession and dealing, emphasizing that such activities are serious crimes that can lead to prosecution and imprisonment.
Research in Southern Africa reveals that illegal commercial cultivation of dagga is mostly done in very remote, hard to reach areas in countries like Zimbabwe, and in sophisticated laboratories that make use of technologies such as hydroponics in countries like South Africa, to evade law enforcement.
The 2024 World Drug Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a United Nations agency that works to combat illicit drugs, crime and terrorism, also reveals that cannabis (dagga) is one of the drugs for which most people with drug use disorders in Africa seek treatment.
The report says Africa remains a key trafficking region for cannabis, which is mostly produced within the region.
According to qualitative data research by the organisation, Africa is the region with the fastest-growing cannabis use in the world.
It also said there is a large gender gap in cannabis use in Africa, with less than one woman for every nine men using cannabis.
Away from Southern Africa, cannabis use is particularly high in West and Central Africa, with a past-year prevalence of nearly 10%, about 31 million people, in 2022, the report says.
North Africa also continues to be a hub for interregional trafficking in cannabis resin to other regions like in Western Europe.
