Zimbabwe’s Local Government and Public Works Minister, Daniel Garwe, has raised alarm over new tactics being employed by drug dealers, warning that second-hand clothing imports are increasingly being used to smuggle narcotics into the country.
Speaking to Bulawayo City councillors and management, Garwe said criminal networks are concealing drugs — and even pests such as bed bugs — inside bales of imported used clothing, posing both health and security threats.
He linked the surge in second-hand clothing to the collapse of Zimbabwe’s domestic cotton industry, which has left thousands jobless and forced the closure of textile factories in Bulawayo. According to him, some vendors involved in the trade are “slippery operators” who move constantly to evade authorities, contributing to the spread of substance abuse in communities.
While acknowledging that many vendors contribute positively to the economy, the minister stressed that the government would act firmly against anyone using the trade as a cover for drug trafficking.
The crackdown also includes a nationwide ban on night vending, building on the Ministry of Industry and Commerce’s October 2024 prohibition on second-hand clothing imports.
Garwe reiterated that the government’s priority is to protect public health and curb the escalating drug abuse crisis in Zimbabwe.