Tendai Gukutikwa
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
ON April 20, at exactly 4pm in Mushambi Village under Chief Mutambara, Fortunate Muuya (30), was found dead in his maize field.
Circumstances behind his death, according to the police, are that on Independence Day eve at around 3pm, he came from Musiyabako Shopping Centre, where he was drinking beer. He had three bottles of highly intoxicating brew in his hands.
When he met Mr Felix Mundandwa (35), with whom he worked together in his field, he told him that he was going to check around his field for animals.
He did not come back.
Fast forward two days later, Mr Mundandwa went to Muuya’s home to check on him, but did not find him.
On April 20, Mr Mundandwa went to Muuya’s field to look for him, and found him lying dead facing down.
He alerted Mr George Muuya (Fortunate’s father), who made a police report at Cashel Police Station.
No injuries were found on the deceased, and his body was taken to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for a post-mortem.
In a similar case, police were called to attend to a deceased person who was found dead in the corridors of a local bottle store.
Up to now, the deceased is still unknown.
He had been spotted earlier on drinking high alcohol content spirits. The body was taken to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for a post-mortem, and storage in the mortuary.
These two are real life fatalities caused by the consumption of high alcohol content beverages, most of them unregistered and illegal.
They are just a tip of the iceberg.
Many more people, especially men, are dying in broad daylight due to excessive intake of cheap, yet heavily intoxicating beverages, better known as kozodo in street lingo.
What is also crystal clear, is the fact that the consumption of these illicit brews transcends urban rural boundaries, as folks in both urban and remote parts of the country sip these harmful liquids.
The price and manufacturing processes
The heavily intoxicating beverages are being sold for almost next to nothing.
For as little as US$0,50 one can start ‘speaking in tongues’.
In their different brands or labels, these illicit brews are being sold at a very cheap price with some going for dollar for three.
Mr Munyaradzi Sithole, a regular consumer of the cheap alcoholic drinks, said: “The major reason we end up buying these heavily intoxicating drinks is that they are cheap. We do not need to have a big budget to get drunk. It also leaves us with some money to take home after getting the same entertainment value in getting drunk, just as our counterparts who drink expensive whisky.”
Cheap as the financial cost might seem, in the end, grown up men are paying with their lives.
They are dropping like flies!
The way, and places that these beverages are being produced is also a cause for concern.
Media reports are awash of numerous production points in high density suburbs such as Mbare in Harare.
What is mind boggling though, is the highly possible lack of adherence to standard alcoholic beverage production principles and guidelines.
Law enforcement
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has fairly done its part to enforce the law, thwarting illegal manufacturing points, even though production is still being done clandestinely in residential suburbs. The same applies to the sale of illicit brews.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka said: “We have always done our part in terms of enforcing the law when it comes to consumption of these illicit brews. Our officers have made some arrests in some illegal selling points, and at times we also do awareness campaigns as well as operations aimed at combating the sale and consumption of illicit brews. We strongly urge members of the public to desist from selling or consuming these beverages for their own health and social benefits.”
Consumption patterns
What is beyond repudiation is the fact that most people who are consuming these intoxicating beverages take them without any form of dilution. The need to save money tied to the love of the wise waters leave many folks who drink heavily intoxicating beverages consuming them without mixing with anything, not even water. To them, this is a way of getting drunk cheaply and quickly.
Mr Onward Rusero, a fellow imbiber, who resides in Sakubva, said:
“There is no point of diluting them because the whole idea is to get drink cheap and quickly. Personally, I do a lot of physical work, and that is how I let it out of my body.”
Access
The sale of the heavily intoxicating beverages is being done in the open, with some bars and bottle stores, openly displaying them on their shelves. This has lessened the burden of accessing the illicit brews. This also explains the popularity of these illicit brews among teenagers and even school-going children.
Mr Dudzai Musikavanhu, who operates an alcohol outlet in Dangamvura, said: “We are recording good sales from these heavily intoxicating beverages. In fact, when days are dry, and there are few clients coming in, we maximise on these small bottles. The fact is that most of those who take them do not want to miss them unlike people who consume relatively expensive beers.”
Health factor
No doubt, consumption of these illicit brews is at one’s health peril.
Renowned Mutare medical practitioner, Dr Tendai Zuze said:
“Kozodo and other illicit brews have many adverse health effects. A lot of them contain methanol, which is highly toxic and lethal, and can also cause blindness and seizures. Illicit brews sometimes also have extremely high, unregulated, alcohol content and other toxic contaminants which can cause acute poisoning and sudden death. Poor sanitation where they are made predisposes to infection.
Other long term health issues include liver, kidney and brain damage as well as issues of addiction, financial strain and developmental problems in babies whose mothers take illicit brews.”
This is the story of a generation being destroyed in the name of getting high!
Online Reporter