By Rex Mphisa
THE recent blanket ban of used clothing and night vending has been linked to the spread of bed bugs (tsikidzi) and the runaway distributions of drugs and substances threatening Zimbabwean youths.
Describing it as “a threat to national security” Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said despite those opposing his ban as unconstitutional, Government is determined to push through the ban.
“This is a threat to national security because it targets our youth who are the future. Which sane person wakes up at 2am or at night to buy clothes? It means these merchants of the night are up to no good and we have since discovered they deal in drugs. We will not allow that,” Garwe said.
He was addressing Beitbridge Municipality policy makers.
“We noticed that our fight against bedbugs in Mbare was not going anywhere because the menace was brought by second hand clothes. Transporting these clothes also facilitated the movement of drugs our teams discovered and hence our decision to ban the drugs, we are killing the suppy pillar,” said Garwe.
According to Garwe, night vending creates an environment conducive to illicit activities, including drug and substance abuse, under the cover of darkness.
He emphasized that allowing vendors to trade at night would be tantamount to creating fertile ground for drug and substance abuse activities.
Researchers have said over the past few years, Zimbabwe has been battling the scourge of illicit drugs and narcotics, which is slowly gnawing at the younger generation.
Recently the nation was shocked to learn that learners at a top girls’ school in Harare had abused drugs during a school trip, leading to the expulsion of eight.
The incident led to a lot of soul searching — and of course action by authorities who literally went on to search drug dens and logistics pipelines.
In Zimbabwe, commonly abused drugs include Codeine; Methamphetamine (crystal meth, commonly known as meth, speed, mutoriro, Chalk, Ice, Crank, Guka; Glue; Broncleer (Bronco); Solvents — Fembo and Genkem; Chlorpromazine — Maragado; Mangemba; Cane spirit; Cocaine, Cannabis/Marijuana/Mbanje (which is mostly abused or traded under a variety of street names such as — Mbanje, Ganja, Dope, Weed, Blunt, Grass, Pot, Boom, Spliff, Mary-Jane, Skunk, Kiff).
According to research, drivers of drug abuse include peer pressure, broken families, emotional and physical abuse, and curiosity, often resulting in addiction.
“But there is also another driver American pop culture. Young people in Africa are hooked onto television where film and music stars glorify drug usage. The popular culture depicts drug usage as a positive thing and a key ingredient to having fun,” a UN report said in 2023.
The minister’s announcement on August 4, 2025, outlined the government’s commitment to maintaining law and order in urban areas.
Garwe directed city officials to work closely with law enforcement agencies to remove vendors operating from streets and pavements, which he said were congesting cities and undermining formal businesses that pay taxes and rent.
Some of the key reasons behind the ban include Public Health concerns because night vending poses significant health risks due to the lack of sanitation facilities, leading to open defecation and waterborne diseases.
Night vending facilitates the proliferation of counterfeit goods, including cancer-causing products and creates opportunities for drug dealers to exploit the cover of darkness for illegal activities.
The ban aims to restore order in cities and towns by regulating informal trade and ensuring vendors operate from designated areas with adequate facilities.
Critics, however, argue the ban punishes the poor and vulnerable, rather than addressing the root causes of economic challenges.
They call for an approach that considers the livelihoods of those dependent on informal trading but Garwe said that would not change the position of Government.
At Beitbridge Garwe rapped Beitbridge Municipality policy makers for having feuds of personal satisfaction instead of service delivery.
Beitbridge has not seen meaningful development two years after elections as councillors fought with everything they had to remove Mayor Peter Mafuta Pirato accusing him of several issues including not attending meetings.
Garwe said the councillors used the wrong procedure and he will visit them on the ninth day of each month until they “got into tune”.
He asked them not to be permanently in an election mode and do their mandate.