Following a spike in coronavirus cases, Zimbabwe was put
under level four lockdown which reintroduced a 6PM to 6AM curfew.
Under the lockdown regulations announced last Saturday by
Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Minister of Health and
Child Care only essential businesses such as supermarkets, pharmacies and
banks, can remain open and all gatherings such as wedding ceremonies or
religious services are banned, with the exception of funerals, which are
limited to 30 people.
Yesterday, there was panic on the liquor streets of
Bulawayo as imbibers shared pictures of leading supermarkets putting up notices
that they were no longer selling alcohol.
Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp were awash with pictures of
alcohol sections of different supermarkets shutting down.
Bottle stores, bars and other leisure centres were banned
from operating leaving, before yesterday, only supermarkets to sell alcohol
during the lockdown.
The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs
Ziyambi Ziyambi said Statutory Instrument (SI) 10 of 2021 means that even
supermarkets are not supposed to sell alcohol and those who have stopped are
doing so correctly under the lockdown regulations.
“The only places that were allowed to sell alcohol are
hotels for their residents. If there’s a bottle store in a supermarket it’s
supposed to be closed. The SI banned the sale of alcohol in bottle stores,
supermarkets, except hotels. Those chain supermarkets have segments, if they
have a bottle store in the supermarkets they should be closed. I think they are
correct if they are stopping the sale of alcohol,” said Minister Ziyambi.
“Bottle stores and bars are potential hazardous places for
the spread of Covid-19. Generally, alcohol leads to non-compliance. Our aim is
to ensure that people comply and stay at home and we arrest new infections.”
Workers at various supermarkets yesterday said they were
told not to sell alcohol on Thursday at the end of the day.
At a TM Pick n Pay outlet in Bulawayo, the section where
alcohol is normally housed was emptied with the social lubricants replaced by
rows and rows of, most curiously, fruit juices.
Fridges that chill lagers and beer were sealed off and
notices that they were out of order were placed in front of them.
Spirits and wines have a longer shelf life, but beverages
such as opaque beer (amasese), go bad after a week and carbonated sorghum beer
(Super) goes bad after two weeks, while lagers and beers have a
six-to-nine-month shelf life, according to a source at an alcohol manufacturing
plant.
Announcing the lockdown measures, VP Chiwenga said: “Just
to be clear, restaurants, bottle stores and bars are closed for 30 days except
for bars and restaurants serving hotel residents. Also, tourist facilities and
national parks will operate as before subject to the usual health precautions.”
When South Africa introduced an alcohol ban last year a
move authorities said was meant to prevent drunken fighting, cut domestic
violence and eliminate weekend binge-drinking prevalent across that country,
doctors and police said the previous ban contributed to a sharp drop in
emergency admissions to hospitals. But the country’s brewers and wine makers
complained that they were being driven out of business.
In a statement on Thursday, Home Affairs and Cultural
Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe expressed concern over the hosting of wild
parties which have become super spreaders of the deadly virus. He said police
will be deployed to all areas and anyone found on the wrong side of the law
will pay the price. The Minister said his Ministry was concerned with bars,
night clubs, restaurants, and other business entities who are operating yet
according to Statutory Instrument 10 of 2021, are banned.
“I am equally disturbed by some shopping centres in some
areas in the country which are now known for wild parties, beer drinking binges
and all sorts of illegalities. This should stop forthwith. Police officers will
move around all suburbs, shopping centres and even check houses to account for
transgressions against Covid regulations and other criminal activities,” he
said.
“I urge the public to report to any nearest police station,
individuals or groups holding parties or musical events or any other gatherings
not sanctioned under Covid-19 regulations. Organisers of such events will face
the wrath of the law and risk losing their licences.”
Minister Kazembe said security agents are there to enforce
regulations while it is the responsibility of citizens to stop the spread of
the pandemic. Chronicle
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