HARARE-Police in Harare have destroyed a tonne of mbanje along with mutoriro, cough syrups and other illicit substances after related court cases were finalized, as authorities try to show the country’s anti-drug campaign is moving beyond arrests into permanent removals from circulation.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police and other authorities oversaw the burning and disposal exercise at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, according to the report.
What was destroyed and where
The haul destroyed included 1,000kg of mbanje, 394.46 litres of cough syrups, 366 grammes of crystal methamphetamine commonly known as mutoriro, 28.7 litres of illicit beverages, and 96.1kg of unregistered skin-lightening creams.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the operation against drug dealers will continue and urged the public to keep supplying information on suspects.
Police say communities hold the missing intelligence
Police Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba said the service would keep working with communities, arguing that drug networks and addiction problems are often known locally even when they are not visible to law enforcement.
He said the approach should be collaborative rather than prescriptive, especially as drug and substance abuse grows.
Why public destruction matters, and what it is meant to prevent
The report frames the disposal as part of standard international practice under United Nations drug control treaties, aimed at preventing seized drugs from being stolen or diverted back into the black market.
Public destruction also aims to build trust by showing that confiscated substances are being eliminated after judicial processes conclude, rather than sitting in evidence stores where theft and corruption risks rise.
What happens next
The key test will be whether the campaign reduces availability and addiction at community level, not only through seizures but through sustained disruption of supply networks, prosecutions that stick, and treatment pathways for users who are already dependent.
