MILLICENT HUNGWE recently in Lusaka, Zambia
A disturbing trend has emerged in Zambia as students and school children from Zimbabwe studying in the copper rich country are resorting to prostitution, drugs and substance abuse.
During a recent working visit this reporter witnessed a worrying incidences where young female students were frequenting watering halls and top market malls during the day and night in the Zambian capital of Lusaka while scantily dressed, taking hard drugs and alcohol in the company of sugar daddies.
Most of the students who confided information to this reporter were speaking fluent Shona and were not even ashamed of what they were doing with some showing violent tendencies due to intoxication.
Some of them were picked up by older men while in uniform in broad day light to hotels and brothels.
Others exhibited signs of addiction and were sleeping on the pavements while half dressed yet their parents back home would have sacrificed a leg and half to take them to school abroad for better education and opportunities.
Tichaona Phiri, a parent, shared a heart-wrenching story of how his son’s drug addiction almost cost him his life.
“I paid his school fees, only to find out he had spent it all on drugs. He called me, saying he was about to die, and I rushed to Zambia only to find him in a sorry state. I took him to rehab, and I’m relieved he’s recovering,” said Phiri who was prepared to share his heart breaking story.
Parents with students studying in our northern neighbor shared their painful experiences as they realized that their children, who they thought were undertaking life changing education were rather busy engaging in other things detached from their tour of duty.
“Authorities must work together to address this scourge and ensure that malls are safe spaces for everyone, not hubs for prostitution and drug abuse,” said one parent on condition of anonymity.
This reporter was nearly manhandled by some Zambian bouncers at a Lusaka shopping complex while taking pictures of Zimbabwean students who are now into prostitution.
Efforts to get a comment from Zimbabwean ambassador to Zambia Charity Charamba were unsuccessful until the time of leaving the country as her provided number was unreachable.
