Online Reporter
Conrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
ZIMBABWE has more bottle stores and beerhalls in some communities than schools, clinics and industries, raising concerns over the role of local authorities in addressing the country’s growing drug and substance abuse problem, Local Government and Public Works Permanent Secretary Eng Tafadzwa Muguti has said.
Eng Muguti made the remarks this morning while addressing town clerks, secretaries and chief executive officers from all 92 local authorities at a Local Government Transformational Workshop in Kadoma.
The workshop is also being attended by District Development Coordinators (DDCs) from across the country and senior officials from the Ministry.
He questioned the priorities of councils in licensing businesses, particularly the proliferation of bottle stores in residential communities.
“We now have more bottle stores and beerhalls in locations than schools, clinics and industries,” he said.
“We have more people who are intoxicated than occupied in something meaningful. How can we have a council issuing more licences for beerhalls and bottle stores instead of important social amenities?”
Eng Muguti said local authorities should ensure that their development and licensing decisions contribute to the creation of productive communities rather than fuelling social problems.
He also raised concern over the development of growth points, saying some rural district councils were now allocating unserviced residential stands instead of prioritising infrastructure and economic activity.
“Growth points were meant for economic growth,” he said, warning that the allocation of unserviced stands was contrary to the country’s development trajectory and President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030.
Eng Muguti challenged local authorities to rethink their planning priorities and ensure that land-use decisions supported economic development, social services and improved living standards.
