The Lusaka City Council (LCC) says it is happy with the move taken by some Lusaka based bar owners to adhere to the council’s appeal to bar owners not to open their bars in the early hours of the day and allow under aged patrons in their premises.
LCC Public Relations Officer Henry Kapata said about 36 bar owners from Lusaka’s Emmasdale and Mutendere compound held a two hour long meeting with him and promised to abide and respect the law as stipulated in the liquor act CAP 162 of the laws of Zambia.
The liquor act clearly stipulates that bars are supposed to be opened around 10 hours and expected to be closed before midnight but bar owners never respected the law.
The LCC Public Relations officer said this in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.
He added that the council is happy with the decision taken by bar owners to respect the laws.
He also disclosed that the 36 bar owners promised to form a committee that will ensure that all those suspected to break the law will be reported to relevant authorities such as the council.
Mr Kapata has since advised youths in the country to divert their energies in productive activities that will contribute to the growth and economical development of the nation unlike spending their time and energies on beer drinking.
Last month the council swung into action and arrested several bar owners for allowing under age youths in their bars and opening them earlier than the recommended time.
ZANIS
The problem is that ba underage ebakwete money! Bar owners need to be serious over this issue. What boggles my mind is the way parents are allowing their kids to vanish from homes unnoticed. The problem is really getting out of hand. And the way ba underage dress, kuti walufyanya!
This is a pure waste of energy and resources. The council has departments whose responsibility is to address these problems. You create committees where you will be spending more on operational costs. People must learn to do their work not o just go and sit in offices.
While they’re at it can they find places for young people to do sports, read or have fun. places where i used to play as a youngster are now compounds or peoples houses. and where are these kids parents, they’re out watchin premier league matches in bars and they aren’t interested in their kids lives.
Kapata himself drinks from Break Point and Fahrenheit, does he not see these underage chaps patronising these places?
Maybe that is why he never patrols these places….
The problem with this cursed country is that people in leadership are too corrupt such that citizens have no regard for laws that are in place. Leaders must show seriousness when handling national affairs.
#2 very good point, there are people within the council PAID to do such check ups. Amazing bar owners will play both offender and ‘police’, an external person is needed to check on these guys… ba council please!!!
This has been longoverdue, ba council you have failed to enforce laws on bar operations eg underage, limiting operating hours, hygiene in bars among other things.Suspend license if bar owners fail to cooperate with law
Ba Moze chachine! Where these youngstaz get money from i dont know. Before when we was teenagers we used to hit the bars and taverns for Chinika brew and washers (mosi) afterwards. But now it is even young ladies who are downing castles in bars. Nkani yo luvyana mudala inachitika kale!
wat eva the case,as in who is in charge of monitoring the operations, i think their long arms should also extend to these to the pipo selling alcohol on their tuntembas, they are fast becoming a nuisance. it becomes easy for under ages to buy beer cdoz its a kantemba which has no age restriction! so pliz move in on all these home shops selling alcohol en protect ma child then i will say that u are working…….
As #2 has pointed out, these are extra overhead costs. What is the council doing? Its letting crooks police themselves. Let the bars offend and councils slap a heavy fine on them. Council allover the world make money through wrong parking, trespassing, improper waste disposal, etc. In fact most bars in Zambia dont even have toilets-wheres the council’s health inspector? Bar patrons adjust their bowels and bludders just behind the very bars they drink from. Or houses in the bars’ visinity. Councils-make money on these offenders.
The other thing is-young men and women need to be in schools, colleges, and universities, better still in employment. Its lack of pre-occupation that forces these young people to have something (wrong) to do. Additionally, theres absolutely no recreation in Zambia. Councils do not plan for leisure parks, leisure centres (for swimming, bowling, cyber gaming, sports etc), to conduct numerous recreation activities. But, they have plans for taverns. Even then these tavern are not designed to include family patronage. I wonder which dunderheads run councils. Muleingishako incito abaendako. Not straight from Chitimukulu ati ni town planner.
Last but not least, councils must be designing and constructing state-of-the-art libraries where children should be spending a lot of time doing their school researches on the internet. Or just looking at certain things to help them become creative. Do we have public libraries in Chawama, Libala, and how many do we have, say in Mansa, Mongu, etc?
Why not leave this to BAR OWNERS. Bar owners must put posters on the doors bearing no under 18 and they should be arrested when kids are found wanting in their bars. There is no need to form committees to be sitting in the bars watching people drinking. This is shear waste of Government resources and time.
Can City Council put in a workable mechanism rather than experimenting with Tax payers’ cash?
The defense ministry needs to coordinate this because alcohol is a threat foreign and domestic. The police have a mandate to arrest underage consumers and suspend patrons of bars. It’s the law. That way the can make money for the service aswell easy peasy.
Its sad that boys and girls are number one substance abusers especially smokes and beer. I was vexed seeing grade seven pupils after exams drinking and lighting smokes in few view of their teachers at one rural school. I wondered what has gone wrong with school going pupils of today? Guess our teachers are not role models or the curriculum is eroded and not the one i learnt. There is alot the education sector must do to arrest the situation with support from us parents. Its nice that measures are being taken and am proud of some councils such as Lusaka City Council who ve come in strongly to curb the vice.
What’s the total number of Bars do we have in Lusaka.