Crimes and Courts Correspondent
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) faces challenges in clearing drug cases due to delays in receiving test results from the police’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Narcotics.
“We acknowledge the importance of effectively prosecuting drug offences… However, a current challenge affecting prosecution timelines is the time taken to receive results of drug sample analysis,” said Prosecutor General Loice Matanda-Moyo.
The NPAZ reported a backlog of over 9,000 drug-related cases in 2023, despite a reduction from 16,373 in 2022. Matanda-Moyo is working with CID Narcotics to expedite the testing process.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s mental health hospitals see a rising number of drug abuse-related admissions, especially among juveniles and adults. Parirenyatwa Marimba, medical superintendent at Ngomahuru Hospital, notes that 80% of admissions are drug-induced psychosis cases.
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