BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

BY VANESSA GONYE

Health experts have expressed growing concern over the emergence of illegal herbal creams and unregulated drug sales on the streets of Harare and throughout Zimbabwe.

A disturbing increase in the presence and sale of unregulated medicines is bedeviling the country, with worry rising over the dangerous outcomes associated with these products.

In recent years, the capital has witnessed a sharp rise in informal drug outlets commonly referred to as “backyard pharmacies”.

 These unlicensed operations are often run from residential homes, tuckshops, market stalls, or simply from blankets laid on busy pavements.

In recent years, the capital has witnessed a sharp rise in informal drug outlets commonly referred to as “backyard pharmacies”.

 These unlicensed operations are often run from residential homes, tuckshops, market stalls, or simply from blankets laid on busy pavements.

Surveys reveal that these backyard pharmacies operate without any quality control, cold chain storage, or professional oversight.

Some of the drugs may be counterfeit, expired, adulterated, or incorrectly labelled.

Itai Rusike, the executive director of the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH), expressed alarm over the proliferation of these vendors, noting the trend puts patients’ health and safety at serious risk.

“The challenge is and has always been the gap in communicating the dosage schedule and indication for treatment,” Rusike said.

“There is no accreditation or regulation of the practitioners, their practice, nor their premises, as is done for registered pharmacists trained in conventional medicine”.

Rusike also highlighted a dangerous lack of scientific data: “There is generally a lack of clinical trials, scientific data and evidence to support the efficacy of street medicines, despite some claims from treated individuals”.

He called for widespread health and treatment literacy programmes to stop citizens from “taking wild gambles” with their health.

Rusike urged that: “the regulatory authorities should also be seen to effectively apply the laws regulating the sale of medicines in the country and protecting the health and safety of the general public without fear or favour”.

Johannes Marisa, president of the Medical and Dental Private Practitioners of Zimbabwe, echoed these concerns, stating that selling drugs from unregulated places is a major threat to public health.

“When we are talking of public health, we become very worried when we see drugs being sold everywhere,” Marisa said.

He warned that counterfeit drugs can create a “false belief that you are recovering from something, yet you are taking a counterfeit drug, which does not work”.

He added that such practices prolong infections and increase both morbidity and mortality.

The trend is largely driven by economic hardships that have made formal healthcare unaffordable for many, alongside high unemployment that has pushed individuals into pharmaceuticals as a lucrative vending commodity.

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has repeatedly warned that these unregistered products pose significant risks, including kidney and liver damage, high blood pressure, and increased cancer risk.

In response, the government has introduced stiffer penalties, with offenders now facing up to 20 years in prison.

SOURCE: THE STANDARD

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Hwange East legislator, Joseph Bonda, has taken the fight for local employment in wildlife conservation to Parliament, questioning why communities living alongside dangerous animals are being sidelined in job opportunities.

In a question directed to the Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Bonda pressed for clarity on what measures are in place to ensure that residents of Hwange District are prioritised for employment by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. He argued that locals, who bear the brunt of human-wildlife conflict, should be first in line for jobs in the sector.

The matter, however, did not receive an immediate response in the National Assembly and was deferred on 18 March 2026, leaving the concerns unresolved for now. 

Bonda’s intervention has resonated strongly with communities in Hwange, where wildlife is both a resource and a risk.

“We live with these animals every day”

In Mabale, local villager Sibangani Ndlovu said it is unfair that outsiders benefit from jobs linked to wildlife while locals face constant danger.

“We live with these animals every day. Elephants destroy our crops, sometimes people are injured or killed. But when jobs come, they go to people from far away. That is not right,” he said.

“Employment should be compensation too”

Another r, Memory Moyo from Dete, said employment in parks and safari operations should be viewed as part of community compensation.

“If we are expected to conserve wildlife, then we must also benefit. Jobs are one of the biggest benefits. Otherwise, people will start to see animals as a burden, not a resource.”

Youth feel locked out

Young people in the district say lack of access to jobs in the wildlife sector is worsening unemployment.

Talent Ncube, a youth from Hwange, said many qualified locals are overlooked.

“We have people trained in tourism and conservation here, but they are not getting opportunities. It discourages us as young people because we feel excluded from our own resources.”

Growing pressure on government

Bonda’s question adds to mounting pressure on government to align conservation efforts with community benefits, especially in areas like Hwange where human-wildlife conflict is frequent.

With the issue now formally raised in Parliament, residents say they are waiting to see whether authorities will respond with concrete policy changes—or whether, like many rural concerns, it will remain unresolved.