Rex Mphisa
Meth lab discovered in SA town of Groblersdal in Limpopo Province 2024.
ZIMBABWE has every reason to be worried with reports that South Africa has one of the largest, if not the largest, consumer markets for crystal meth in the world.
With the country already at a fully fledged war against drugs the setting up of illegal drug manufacturers in Limpopo Province bordering Zimbabwe, the development sends shivers to every parent or any responsible Zimbabwean.
Last year South African police uncovered an industrial-scale meth lab and arrested four suspects, including two Mexicans, in one of the country’s biggest-ever drug busts.
The laboratory was discovered on a farm in Groblersdal, a small town in Limpopo province in the northeast of the country, the police said in a statement on Saturday.
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa; it borders Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
Law enforcement agents found large quantities of chemicals, such as acetone, used in the manufacturing of illicit drugs, including crystal meth, with an estimated street value of 2 billion rand ($109.5m.
“What makes this different from other seizures is the involvement of Mexican citizens,” said Katlego Mogale, national spokesperson for the Hawks, an elite police unit that took part in the raid.
“It means that our task has just become very difficult,” she told the Reuters news agency.
It is not clear whether the suspects were manufacturing drugs to distribute within the country or elsewhere, she said.
South Africa is a major drug transit country due to its geography and international trade links and is also a growing market for synthetic drugs, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Methamphetamine trafficking, in particular, is on the rise in Africa, the UN agency said in its 2023 World Drug Report.
The UN describes methamphetamine as a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that impacts the central nervous system and can cause a rapid or irregular heartbeat.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration warns that high doses of the substance “may result in death from stroke, heart attack or multiple organ problems caused by overheating”.
Acetone is a colourless liquid used to produce a variety of products, including solvents for paints and plastics, but it can also be also used illegally to produce drugs.
As the investigation continues, the arrested suspects will make their first court appearance on Monday on charges of manufacturing, dealing and possession of illicit drugs, the police statement said.
In Beitbridge, the town council is considering establishing a drug rehabilitation centre to help dozens of affected youths.
“We know of plans by Government to establish such a centre in Gwanda but it only makes sense we have a rehabilitation centre of our own. This drug scourge is real,” town clerk Loud Ramakgapola told stakeholders at a mid-term budget review meeting on Tuesday.
“We must have these plans, we should be looking at it now,” he said….
Malcolm Libera Reuters