The Lusaka City Council (LCC) has issued a plea to the public, urging them to report individuals involved in the illicit sale of liquor from home shops. Bulumba Nyambe, Assistant Public Relations Manager at LCC, highlighted the challenges faced in addressing this issue, particularly in shanty compounds.
Mr. Nyambe expressed the difficulty in apprehending offenders in shanty compounds but emphasized that swift action is taken in accessible areas according to established guidelines. The prevalent trend of selling liquor in home shops has prompted the LCC to address and curb this practice.
Attributing the directive to stop illegal liquor trading to the Ministry of Local Government, Mr. Nyambe underscored that such activities go against the licensing ACT. In the previous year, the council successfully convicted fifty-five illegal liquor traders, with five individuals receiving three-month imprisonment sentences after appearing before the fast track court.
To trade in liquor legally, Mr. Nyambe advised individuals to apply to LCC for inspection and validation. The council remains committed to taking enforcement measures against home shops engaged in illegal liquor sales to eradicate the trend.
While emphasizing the need for public cooperation, Mr. Nyambe urged community members to refrain from selling liquor from home shops to avoid facing punitive measures. The call for vigilance aligns with the broader efforts to combat health risks associated with unsanitary conditions and illicit alcohol, as echoed by Minister of Health Masebo, who recently emphasized the importance of community engagement and education in the ongoing fight against diseases such as cholera.
The sad thing is even council police officers are involved in tl drinking from these places. And if a neighbor reports illegal brewing in a community, the same police officer will sell out the informer therefore endangering the life of that person. We have reached a stage where you have no one to trust.
I have more sympathy for the sellers of home made liquor than the the thieves of who loot copper mines. The government needs to work out a regulatory mechanism to facilitate the sale of home brewed alcohol. You simply cannot deny people their long standing culture. You would be a hypocrite to deprive the people of Southern Province of Gaankata and 7 days in order for you to force them to drink the Mosi that you make, and they cannot afford. In the US, they have private beer brewing companies. These are called microbreweries. Some bars even produce their own beer. That being said, the alcohol laws of the US are also notoriously stiff because you can be arrested for being drunk in public.
This activity is as old as Zambia’s independence. What a sensible government would do is set up Municipal Police Forces whose responsibility would be to inspect townships and arrest the illegal brewers. Those who want to register their brew are not barred from bringing their recipes for licencing at the Ministry of Commerce. Garbage dumpers would also be prosecuted by this Police. I grew up in the Mine townships on the copperbelt and never heard of a single incidence of Kachasu trading. Ask yourself why?
Because of Mine Police
Very true. I remember the Mine Police coming to our neighbourhood in Chamboli to confiscate ducks from our Tanzanian neighbour who had decided to share rent with a dozen of them. They told us poultry should be isolated and locked in. The Mine owners really supported Zambia’s progress