A COMBINED team of State personnel and Lusaka City Council (LCC) police on Friday night arrested some 250 patrons from illegal night joints in six townships.
The four-hour night operation started at the notorious ‘Devil Street’ in Emmasdale where patrons were forced to scamper in all directions as security personnel gave chase.
Bar owners operating well beyond the limits of their permits (22:00 hours) hurriedly brought the shutters down on their premises, forcing panicked patrons to flee.
The operation was so well-planned and so successfully executed that almost all targeted bars were caught totally unawares, with owners arrested and their licences seized.
The next stop of operation was the Porps Express behind Melisa Supermarket in Matero which is also notorious for noise pollution, illicit sexual activities and under-age patronage.
Workers and some patrons were rounded up by police and made to sit on the ground as other officers completed the operation of confiscating all alcoholic beverages.
At Matero market, a local DJ landed himself in trouble when he shouted offensive comments to the law enforcers forcing them to confiscate his music system, leaving the neighbourhood to enjoy a rare quiet night.
Other places raided included, Zingalume, George, Chunga and Garden with an aim of bringing sanity to the night business.
According to Brenda Katongola, LCC assistant public relations officer, a total of 15 clubs had their licences seized for operating contrary to the terms of their permits.
Ms Katongola said the next operation would target notorious corners of Chilenje Libala and Kabwata were a number of clubs were breaking their licences laws.
“The combine security team will intensify these operations as it is a continuous exercise because we want to bring sanity in the city,” she said.
She said during the operation about 100-150 crates of alcoholic beverages were also seized and those arrested would appear in fast-track courts and may be charged K10,000 or more, or in default, six months in jail.
A bar is supposed to open at 10 hours and close at 22 while a night club is permitted to operated between 22:00 hours and close around 05: 00 in the morning.
Hehehe mwami akolewa zoona
Dictatorship in full force on Zambian Citizens. Meanwhile foreigners can drink alcohol and get drunk all night long in Zambia without being arrested!
Kuli ukutonya amaule free this weekend. Yes clean up those PF drinking clubs.
LCC should extend this exercise to rid Lusaka of street venders and curb the parking crisis in the CBD. But I know this would be asking for too much. These exercises don’t normally have a long “life-span”; normally short term and die out naturally over time. Shame! Seems we’re a doomed nation.
“…nightclub operate between 22 hours and CLOSE AROUND 05:00hrs…” no set time for closure really?!! LT u can do better than that!!!
Meanwhile in the Christian Holy land Israel Prostitution Is Legal.
Everyone respects big business, prostitution money drugs alcohol.
The legal age for purchase of alcoholic beverages is 18; proof of age is required and often requested at bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, so it’s always a good idea to bring ID when you go out. There are no closing times for bars inside Israel.
Why pick Israel of all countries, people there don’t drink beer the way it is abused here. Allow the Government to work in peace and wait for 2026 when you form your own.
Tel Aviv may be know as the commercial centre of Israel, but when the sun goes down the party really gets started. Tel Aviv houses some of the chicest bars, coolest clubs and best restaurants in the world.Tel Aviv has bars on rooftops, on the beach, in the port and in fact all over the city.
Whether you’re in the mood to listen to some live music, sip a cocktail or dance the night away, Tel Aviv has somewhere for you. You head to the minimum of four of Tel Aviv’s coolest spots, and get a feel for the best bars, restaurants and clubs in the city. Enjoy some free shots along the way, free entry and queue jump whilst meeting other young people from around the world.
This is the perfect way to explore Tel Aviv at night and guarantee yourself a good time. Join this fun packed evening…
It’s the law , I live in NY – USA all night clubs close at 4:00AM and the police enforce it. No politics involved on that one.
On Sunday morning they don’t allow to buy take away beer from groceriy stores or DELI small convinienr stores in neighborhoods till 2:00PM it’s city council law
City councils also pick up garbage…..not in Zambia
Thanks for the irrelevant information, genius.
How can I get these enforcement team’s number? Here at Mandevu old ngoma on saturday we hadly sleep due to noise polution coming from a lodge from as early as 19 hrs to 05 am.
This is a good move. Please continue and bring sanity to our communities.
What a waste of prison space …why are you arresting patrons and not the owners of these joints, people who are drunk are scampering in all directions that’s a safety risk on itself. Its like arresting under 18 kids at shop exits for buying alcohol.
Yah well done law enforcement team. Don’t give up. Charge them those who can’t pay the charge….sentence them… Period!
What you do I’d just drive into compounds after 22:00hrs. The noise is so obvious that can be heard even when you are driving around.
Noise pollution is an offence under Public Health Act CAP298 of the laws of Zambia. They know except they are sturbon and have no respect for law but money and funny.
We are having under age girls and boys wasted… So ALLUTA CONTINUA..ZP!
Read Romans 13:1-3 and you will see that God had given authority to the governing authorities to put earthly laws to follow and if you don’t the law visits you.Let’s not deceive ourselves if a law has been set by the government then you go against the law then it will visit you.There’s nothing like dictatorship. Anyone thinking or saying it’s dictatorship does not have knowledge of God’s Holy scriptures and is ignorant
And where did these selfsame scriptures written in third tense really come from?
Wake up your fooolishnesss and study about self!!
Well done LCC. Extend the operation to many areas please.It gives an impression that finally PF has started working. Well done, the slumber was too long. Back to life LCC
Let this excise be extended to other towns too much immorality in the nation please
Lord have mercy on us
Too much immorality in the nation?? Look no further than kiezer zulu at state house and his public assaults on women including police officers if you want to know immorality….
I’m glad they did that especially at Devil street omg. That place, was filled up with thugs, mbava, tsotsis, bakabwalala, mashoili big time!
05:00 am? Awe chilalila! For true.
Come to think about it, most of these laws existed during the colonial era and were effectively adhered to but then became watered down when the same council employees and associates started running these businesses! If you were not there during the colonial era you will not appreciate the fact that there was order as bottle stores were what it says a bottle store and no one would sit there to consume alcohol as the case now is!
In Mtendere, this is happening just behind the Police Station!
Statistically our very own local New York Bulls will dominate the list of patrons. It’s cultural.
Hey m******mwe,vauupubaa it’s not a good move please start with utuntebamba in town the one which is sailing sheki sheki,utujilijili,and drugs along Stanley bar May I ask do they have licence’s to operate from 06hrs to 23hrs kikikikiki fyabuuba go back on the desk and start over chanibaba
We have taken a lot of things for granted for a long time such that anyone trying to do something right is given a derogatory nickname, it is a shame. Let us come to some sanity as a nation. Next to be enforced is the littering law. I happen to meet a beautiful lady walking along the famous street in Lusaka. This lady just threw a banana peel almost in front of my walk way. The area had just been cleaned by council workers, when i tried to explain to her the problem of littering she reacted as though she had a right to litter. This mentality will never keep Africa clean. Politicians will never clean our streets. Paul Kagame has the formula his people have really supported him by keeping Rwanda clean. Not our semi- literate communities in Zambia.
LONG OVERDUE!!!!!!
Our youths are drowning in beer cans in the excuse of lack of employment. These kids can’t even make their own beds yet they want to be employed. No employer would want to take on a lazy bone.
The point is … a growing number of of our children are plain truants whose only occupation revolves around changing TV channels. If you think I am kidding, try not paying for the DSTV and witness the uprising that will arise. Well done LCC!!!!
Chilenje area please close up LAY-BYE along mpasa road, too much noise pollution with there street parties, even removing speakers outside and their DJ creaming louder from 10hrs to 02 next day.LCC help!
Point of correction. Israel is not a Christian nation. It is a Hebrew Nation. Secondly you will never find a street corner prostitute.
well done LCC, too much immorality going around these bars, I trade near East Point and Clans in Kabwata area, eeeehhhhhhh it is hell in the mornings, used condoms every where forcing owners of shops to start sweeping ama used condoms. Lord help us its too much.
hmmm . But why arresting patrons and not owners. Can all those patrons arrested please gather and try and sue LCC. How do you tell if its a night club or not. You should have arrested Bar owners and not patrons.