The lack of social safety nets has led to people working out cheap ways of getting high.

The mixture - known on the street as “mutoriro”, meaning “drunk to the last degree” – is far less expensive than even the cheapest drugs on the market. According to reports, security forces are on high alert for an eventual outbreak of civil disobedience as the economic crisis in the country worsens.

“They know that there is a realistic likelihood of an uprising and every effort is being made to thwart it,” a source told New Zimbabwe, a national news site.

Another source claimed that Emmerson Mnangagwa, the country’s president, has laced his recent speeches with threats against a potential uprising. In one, Mr Mnangagwa said: “If you protest, we will arrest you. Make money.”

Isaac, 25, said that most people cannot afford similar hits like “bronclear”, a mixture of cough syrup, alcohol and cannabis.

He added: “[The nappy mixture] gives me a lot of strength when I am doing my job. I work as a part-time gardener for several homes and I earn US$5 per day, which is not enough to care for my daughter and feed us.”

David Masamvi, 43, said that for “20 Bond” [about 1¢), he “will be plastered the whole day” and will “not even worry about food or women”.

The Telegraph, London