‘GRADE FIVE KIDS ALREADY BATTLING DRUG ADDICTION’
■ Leading medical doctor issues a chilling revelation ■ Dr Marisa says the time to act, stop the rot is NOW
SCHOOL kids, as young as those in Grade FIVE, are already battling with drug addiction, a leading medical doctor has said in a chilling revelation.
Dr Johannes Marisa, the Medical and Dental Private Practitioners Association of Zimbabwe (MDPPAZ) president said the time to act, to stop the rot, is NOW.
He made this revelation at ZRP Mabelreign School prize-giving ceremony on Wednesday.
He was the guest of honour at the ceremony.
“I was pleased that your children here today (yesterday) recited poems about drug abuse,” he said.
“Drug abuse is now affecting innocent students from as early as Grade FIVE.
“This thing called musombodhiya is killing our children.
“And, if I can divulge to you about what is happening at the Parirenyatwa Hospital’s Annex section, where mental patients are admitted, half of its patients are due to drug abuse.
“Let’s save our young children.” He hailed the police and various stakeholders for taking a leading role in raising awareness against drug and substance abuse.
“The police are trying by all means to arrest anyone involved in the distribution and selling of these drugs. MDPPAZ and everyone in Zimbabwe have been asking you (the police) to arrest these drug peddlers and the courts must give them lengthy sentences before they kill all our future generations.”
He raised concerns over wellknown drug barons who are yet to be named and shamed.
“Why are known drug dealers not arrested when their whereabouts are known as well? After research, we have realised that people who abuse drugs will not last for four years.”
Meanwhile, Dr Marisa, also warned people about the cholera outbreak.
“I am so excited after witnessing your students reciting poems on cholera.
“Be reminded that cholera kills very fast and Zimbabwe is in the midst of a cholera outbreak, which has already claimed at least 153 people and infected almost 9000 people. We have Kuwadzana as the latest hotspot.
“So, if you have or suspect that you have cholera, having watery diarrhoea, vomiting or leg cramps, seek urgent medical attention.
“It is unfortunate to lose someone from cholera because it is just a disease which kills through dehydration.”
A 59-YEAR-OLD rapist father has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for repeatedly raping his 13-year-old daughter in a period stretching for a month.
He kept threatening to kill himself, in the event she rejected his advances, and there were days he would rape her shortly after she came back from school.
The State said in May, the man’s wife, who is the teenage girl’s stepmother, left her, and her 10-yearold brother, with their father at home.
The father asked his daughter to sleep in his bedroom saying he was working the night shift.
She went to sleep in his bedroom together with her 10-year-old brother.
However, the father did not go to work and asked to be intimate with his daughter, threatening to kill himself if she refused.
She refused and went back to bed. When she woke up the following morning, she saw a white discharge on her private parts and pants and the blankets were also wet.
She asked her father what happened to her and he told her that he had had sex with her while she was asleep.
The State said in June, the father again demanded to have sex with her.
He once again threatened to kill himself if she refused.
He fondled her breasts and then raped her.
She did not disclose the rape to anyone, fearing that her father would commit suicide.
He allegedly continued to rape her on several occasions, and sometimes during the day, when she returned from school.
On June 25, a community care worker, and another resident, went to the man’s house after a tip-off and found the girl sleeping in the same bed with her father.
One woman took the girl outside the room and she disclosed the sexual assault at the hands of her father.
They took her to Southlea Park police to make a report leading to his arrest.
FAKE whiskey merchants have struck again and flooded the market with counterfeit Jameson Irish whiskey, cashing in on rising demand ahead of the festive season.
Experts say consumption of such fake beverages could result in cancer, liver disease, hormone imbalances, loss of hair and even DEATH.
There has been concern over the proliferation of fake alcoholic products on the market and the fake dealers have also targeted Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Two Keys, Bols Brandy and an assortment of wines.
They target mass products and appear to stay clear of the expensive brands like Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Glenfiddich 18, 21, 23, 26, 30 and 50 single malt range.
BullRed Distributors, the official suppliers of Jameson Irish whiskey in Zimbabwe, have been battling these fake whiskey merchants for years now but they just keep coming back.
This year, the distributors have responded by introducing extra security features on their bottles, such as a holographic sticker with a QR code.
This is meant to help consumers distinguish between the real product and fake ones.
There were reports last year that a man died in Harare, after he developed some stomach complications, having consumed fake Jameson whiskey.
“We have worked very hard to address this issue from all angles and added the security features on our bottles at no extra cost to the consumer.
“Sadly, in this environment, some unscrupulous businesspeople will place profits over people.
“This is why illicit alcohol finds its way into the market.
“There are several health risks, which vary in severity from alcohol poisoning to cancer, liver disease, hormone imbalances, loss of hair and even death,” BullRed Distributors said.
The distributors added:
“We have now added a holographic sticker with a QR code. This new sticker has a sticker with a multicolour holographic effect that cannot easily be replicated.”
The company said consumers should also know that Jameson Irish Whiskey is not made with any sugars.
“So, it should not stick when poured in a glass and if a consumer dips their fingers in a glass of Jameson whiskey, they should not feel sticky.
“We are also engaging the media and the relevant authorities to help ensure we continue to educate and protect consumers.”
LOS ANGELES. — Jonathan Majors was one of Hollywood’s fastest rising stars, with a major role in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But a conviction for assaulting his girlfriend has left his career in tatters and mounting questions over where Marvel goes next.
Majors was due to be at the heart of movies that Marvel is pinning its hopes on to turn its fortunes around - and that were expected to cement his status in Hollywood’s A-list.
His first appearance as supervillain Kang the Conqueror was praised by many as the best thing about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which got otherwise mixed reviews and box office results when it came out in February.
“Magnetic Jonathan Majors is the saving grace of Marvel’s baffling, illogical latest outing,” said the Observer.
However, Majors has now been dropped from two planned Avengers movies after being found guilty of two charges of assault and harassment relating to an altercation with then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari in New York in March.
He was found not guilty of two further charges.
Majors’ career had been on the rise since he broke through in acclaimed 2019 drama The Last Black Man in San Francisco, before going on to star in Netflix western The Harder They Fall.
He also appeared in Spike Lee’s war drama film Da 5 Bloods, earned an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Lovecraft Country, and played Michael B Jordan’s adversary in boxing sequel Creed III earlier this year. So, what’s next for him?
These were misdemeanour charges, and he faces up to a year in jail or probation when he’s sentenced in February.
Other actors have come back from similar situations after time and repentance, with independent films more likely to offer him a route than big studios.
One of Hollywood’s most promising talents is unlikely to return to the same heights, and he is the only one to blame. — BBC.