Online Reporter
Sunday Mail Reporter
THE proliferation of liquor outlets near hospitals, schools and places of worship, which is considered illegal, has attracted interest from the Government amid allegations that some licence holders are peddling drugs as well as selling alcohol to underage persons.
The Government has since intensified inspections as it moves to tighten the licensing regime.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti said councils would be held accountable for licences issued in breach of legal requirements.
The Government’s National Liquor Inspectorate Programme is presently assessing how liquor licences are being issued and whether prescribed procedures are being followed.
“We have discovered that some liquor licences were issued to premises located near hospitals, schools, old people’s homes and places of worship, which is not permitted by law,” said Eng Muguti.
The inspections have also uncovered a disproportionate concentration of liquor outlets in some communities, with bottle stores reportedly outnumbering other businesses at some shopping centres.
“In many shopping centres, there are now more liquor stores than shops, barber shops and other businesses,” he said.
The Government, he said, would establish whether proper procedures were followed when the licences were issued, with corrective action to be taken where irregularities are found.
“The law is very clear. We will hold local authorities accountable and determine whether proper procedures were followed when these licences were issued. Where irregularities are identified, corrective action will be taken,” he said.
The crackdown comes against the backdrop of growing concern over drug and substance abuse, particularly among young people.
Drug and substance abuse
Eng Muguti said the continued rise in applications for liquor licences was concerning, at a time when more young people were being exposed to alcohol and harmful substances.
“We are, therefore, reforming the law to make it more stringent. Obtaining a liquor licence will become more rigorous because licence holders must be fully accountable for their operations.”
The Government is also concerned by reports that some liquor licence holders are involved in the peddling of drugs, including crystal methamphetamine, as well as selling alcohol to underage persons.
“We are also concerned by reports that some licence holders are involved in the distribution of drugs, including crystal methamphetamine (mutoriro), and the sale of alcohol to underage persons.
“This will not be tolerated,” Eng Muguti said.
“We will continue conducting inspections across the country. Where there is an oversupply of bottle stores, local authorities must take corrective action in line with the law.
“They know which outlets meet the legal requirements and which do not. It is time for every tier of Government to be accountable rather than shifting responsibility to Central Government.”
The reforms are part of broader efforts to restore order in urban areas and ensure that economic activity takes place within the law.
The Government is also preparing to launch the “One Ward, One Market” programme, which will provide designated trading spaces for registered vendors while protecting licensed businesses.
Councils would be expected to enforce model by-laws and designate specific places and routes for vendors and hawkers.
The Government, Eng Muguti added, also plans to develop additional marketplaces through public-private partnerships and other financing models, while councils have been urged to restore existing market stalls.
The marketplaces, he said, should also be accessible to people with disabilities.
Eng Muguti warned against attempts to resist Government programmes, including Operation Chenesa, saying those removed from unauthorised operating spaces should comply peacefully.
“We want people to comply with the law and, where they are removed from unauthorised operating spaces, they should do so peacefully.”
