NETONE, Zimbabwe’s mobile network operator, has partnered with grassroots organisation Heal Us Zimbabwe to stage a 23-day walkathon from Beitbridge to Harare, covering more than 500 kilometres under the theme “Together We Rise, United We Heal.”
The march, which began on 27 June and runs through 19 July 2026, anchors a broader corporate campaign against substance abuse among Zimbabwean youth.
The initiative responds to alarming national data,drug use among young people climbed from 43% in 2017 to over 57% by 2019, a trend President Mnangagwa has labelled a national emergency. NetOne Group CEO Eng. Raphael Mushanawani said the company views the crisis as inseparable from its core mission.
“NetOne believes that connectivity is not only about technology but also about connecting people to opportunities, hope and a better future,” he said, framing the partnership with Heal Us Zimbabwe as essential ground-level insight the telecom giant lacks on its own.
Heal Us Zimbabwe founder Columbus Tapiwa Mushore, himself a former addict, brings frontline credibility to the campaign, which extends into schools, community halls and youth centres alongside the physical march. NetOne is using its full service portfolio, voice, data, mobile money and internet, to amplify counselling and rehabilitation messaging beyond the walking route itself.
Organisers also tie the effort to Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 development agenda, arguing that a healthier youth population is a precondition for economic growth. Now in its fourth day, the walkathon continues toward Harare, closing each day’s leg with testimonies and counselling sessions for affected communities.
