MUM WATCHES HELPLESSLY AS DRUGS CONSUME KIDS
A MOTHER from Dzivaresekwa has shared her heartbreaking experience of helplessly watching both of her sons become addicted to crystal meth, also known as ‘mutoriro’.
Lina Musoni’s eldest son, Benjamin (35), returned from South Africa with knowledge of the drug and introduced it to his younger brother Takunda (29), who was already a user of mbanje.
The brothers eventually coerced her to buy a gas blower, which they used to melt glass and shape it into vessels for inhaling crystal meth, known as “kapoto”.
These vessels became their currency for exchanging with drug lords to sustain their addiction.
Musoni was in the process of building a house when she noticed a troubling pattern of missing construction materials, including cement, roofing sheets and door frames.
It took her a considerable amount of time to realise that her own children were behind the thefts.
She confided in her friends who hinted to her that her children might be involved in drugs.
Determined to uncover the truth, she enlisted the help of her maid to examine her sons’ clothes when doing laundry.
To her astonishment, she found stuff associated with drug use.
The situation escalated when Takunda lost his fear of consequences after finding out about his mother’s investigation into their drug use.
“He would knock on my bedroom door at midnight and if I delayed opening, he would kick it violently.
“If I told him I had no money, he would sell everything, including my kitchen utensils, bed sheets, bedspreads and meat in the fridge in Dzivaresekwa 1.
“He started transferring money from my bank to his drug supplier.
“I went to get a print out from my mobile money service provider and found out that Takunda was transferring money to his supplier in Dzivaresekwa 1,” said Musoni.
She found herself caught between her love for her children and the need to protect her family.
On one occasion, she got them arrested, but her maternal instinct compelled her to plead with the magistrate to withdraw the charges just as they were about to be sentenced.
Musoni said her sons’ drug abuse made life difficult for her grandchildren, who bore the brunt of Benjamin’s violence towards them.
They endured beatings on a daily basis, prompting Musoni to report Benjamin to the police.
“Due to a previous criminal record, Benjamin was sentenced to 16 months in prison, with his release date set for February 19.”