peter
BULAWAYO is a city that for years was known for its serenity and cleanliness, but a majority will agree with us that such a status has since slipped through the hands of those in charge of this metropolis affectionately referred to as the City of Kings and Queens.
It is because dirty has become commonplace in alleyways throughout the city and general order has become part of this metropolis.
It is no longer shocking for one to be confronted by piles and piles of rubbish in the Central Business District (CBD), something that for some years back was an anathema.
While the residents have been contending with the poor service delivery such as failure to offer basic services such as refuse collection and sticking to the much-publicised water supply schedule, of late the city has been confronted with a new bug which, however, is outside the purview of city fathers.
It is societal in nature and that bug is drunkenness where some intoxicated individuals have become a menace to the residents going about their businesses. The most affected are women.
Hot spots of such behaviour are areas surrounding the marketplace, that is between 4th and 5th avenues, taxi ranks and even at shopping centres dotted around residential areas. This disturbing behaviour has been attributed to a certain alcoholic spirit which in street lingo is known as injengu. The brew is said to be produced illegally within our borders and in foreign lands, outside the approval and regulated process of registered and legitimate manufacturers.
We are told this illicit brew is the one behind the foul-smelling behaviour with its effects ranging from violent incidents to illnesses which include that of mental nature. The brew is said to be portable, cheap and readily available at any time.
Medical authorities at Ingutsheni Central Hospital, a mental health facility are on record, saying they are dealing with monumental figures of alcohol and substance abuse. They say 90 percent of male patients admitted to Ingutsheni have substance related problems.
We were therefore elated to learn that on Friday afternoon the police bust the distribution network of this illicit brew when they managed to seize two truckloads of the outlawed booze and arrested two men believed to be ring leaders of the underground market.
Commenting after the busting of the ring, the officer commanding Bulawayo Central District, Chief Superintendent Vusumuzi Nkomo without mincing his words said all the illicit brewers are on notice.
“We have arrested two stockists who have been charged with operating without a liquor licence and also selling. Some of the spirits we suspect are produced outside the country and brought into the country in large quantities to these distributors. We want to warn other distributors who are around the city that we are going to be out in full force raiding them,” warned Chief Supt Nkomo.
“They should stop distributing these illegal products because they are a threat to our communities.”
We are encouraged by the words of Chief Supt Nkomo that the police are taking this illicit distribution network seriously. We call on all residents to also chip in and put shoulder to the wheel in the fight against this scourge which is becoming a cancer fast spreading in the body of our lovely city.
The police on their own no matter how determined they are would not be able to eradicate this, they need the support of the residents. We should be wary that those who break our laws live among us. If we can expose their nefarious behaviour we would have gone a long way in assisting our police bring this to a halt.
In case the residents come across the merchants of this brew they should quickly tip off the police so that the culprits are quickly brought to book. This is because we believe more distributing networks are still out there ready to supply both the young and elderly with this illicit brew which has turned those who consume it into animals.
Online Reporter