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Freeman Razemba Crime Reporter
POLICE have identified and are conducting investigations on some unscrupulous beer outlets and individuals countrywide who were allegedly selling alcohol to juveniles on Christmas Day.
According to police, the law will take its course on some of these beer outlets, including having their licences cancelled.
This comes after there are several videos circulating on social media in which children can be seen abusing alcohol. In one of the incidents which occurred in the city, police have since identified two of the children while investigations to identify the other eight are still in progress.
In an interview, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that they had received reports on some beer outlets who were letting children buy and consume alcohol.
He said the beer outlets owners were likely to face prosecution once investigations have been completed.
“There are allegations that there were some beer outlets who were letting in children to buy alcohol at their premises and we are investigating such cases,” he said.
On Wednesday, police said they had identified two minors aged 13 and 11 years who were part of a group of children seen abusing alcohol in a video clip that has gone viral on social media.
The footage was taken in central Harare and investigations into how the minors got the alcohol have intensified.
Their parents have also been located while investigations are also in progress to identify the other children.
Police said investigations have also revealed that these children had earlier on been seen interacting with some women who were sitting nearby and they suspect that they could have been their mothers.
Although it is still not clear, police suspect that their mothers could have been the ones who have been bringing them to the city to conduct street begging, vending and other misdemeanours.
In most cases their mothers are the ones who benefit mostly from such activities.
“We strongly suspect that the women these children were interacting with, could have been their mothers who sometimes send their children to beg for money and we are investigating all these issues,” Asst Comm Nyathi said.
In a statement this week, Asst Comm Nyathi confirmed that some of these children have been identified.
“Reference is made to the social media videos which went viral on 26th December 2023 showing minors drinking alcohol in Harare Central Business District and subsequent police investigations into the incident.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police reports that the identity of two minors aged 13 and 11 years is now known. Their mother and father have also been identified.”
He said the father and mother separated in November 2022 with the two minors being taken into the custody of their mother in the Epworth area, Harare.
It is alleged that they later left home and engaged in street begging, vending and some misdemeanours in Harare Central Business District with other “street kids”.
Asst Comm Nyathi said on Christmas Day, the two minors who were in the company of eight other children, obtained alcohol through a person who is yet to be identified by the police.
“The minors sat on the veranda of a cellphone shop along Inez Terrez near a prominent food outlet. They consumed alcohol openly in public. The Zimbabwe Republic Police has also identified a local businessperson who recorded the viral social media video. He is currently assisting the Police to get full facts on the incident.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police is still pursuing the identity of the other minors who were in the company of the two and allegations that there were some women who were seated at the corner of Speke and Inez Terez Street who interacted with the minors.
“It has also been confirmed that the minors were drinking alcohol while eating some chips and chicken,” Asst Comm Nyathi said.
The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in Zimbabwe (SAAPA ZW) this week also said it was deeply concerned about the video circulating on social media showing children drinking alcohol in the streets of Harare on Christmas Day.
This is a grave violation of the Liquor Act, which regulates the trade in liquor in the country.
They called upon the authorities to take swift action and enforce the Liquor Act and also demanded that the authorities should uphold the law and punish the offenders.
An appeal was also made to the parents, guardians, teachers, religious leaders, and community members to play their role in educating and protecting the children from alcohol harm.
Online Reporter