Staff Reporter
BEITBRIDGE East Member Of Parliament Albert Nguluvhe will on Saturday interface with close to 1 000 members of different church denominations in a meeting expected to discuss a number of issues top among them Drug and Substance Abuse.
In an interview Friday Nguluvhe said the meeting was also meant for him to learn from the churches the challenges they face and to seek divine interventions as regards the rains.
“I just want to interact with church people. Hear their challenges and views. Ask them to pray for the nation for peace and rains. Ask them to join the Government programs as we fight against Drug and Substance Abuse,” he said.
Nguluvhe who is also the Minister of Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Matabeleland South is from Beitbridge which shares a 350 kilometre long porous border with South Africa
The border while it presents a good economic climate for locals via cross-border excursions, mostly lucrative but largely illegal, has on the other hand offered that distance long smuggling opportunities for illicit deals inclusive of drugs.
Cross-border livestock rustling, stolen vehicle movement and an illicit cigarettes trade is a headache for authorities on both sides of the border with SA further worried about illegal migrations.
The drug and substance abuse situation in Beitbridge is marked by an intensified police crackdown on cross-border smuggling and local distribution, together with a critical shortage of local rehabilitation services.
Statistics show that between January and October 2026, the Zimbabwe Republic Police arrested 913 people for drug-related offenses across Tuli, Zezani, Beitbridge Urban, and Beitbridge Rural policing areas.
Of those arrested, 723 offenders have been convicted and are serving sentences, while other cases remain pending.
Police recovered marijuana (dagga) worth US$33,826 and restricted or unregistered medicines worth US$60,529 during the same period.
Other major operations intercepted large consignments of cough syrups like Broncleer, pain relievers, and methaqualone/methalone precursors near the Beitbridge Border Post and along major highways like the Beitbridge-Masvingo and Beitbridge-Bulawayo roads.
Nguluvhe hopes churches will assist instil discipline in Beitbridge which is a major transit and border town where traffickers use locals familiar with the terrain.
The traffickers frequently use buses, private vehicles (such as concealed compartments in trucks or disguised packages like rolled blankets), and third parties to move illicit goods destined for other parts of Zimbabwe or South Africa.
South Africa has of late uncovered illegal drug laboratories run by South Americans who have set up bases even as close as Musina, 13 kilometres south of Beitbridge in Zimbabwe.
Nguluvhe also hopes to discuss with the churches on the approaching cropping season’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa launched in his constituency on Tuesday.
Saturday’s meeting will be over lunch at Tsepang Gardens in Urban Ward 3, he said.