The Lusaka City Council (LCC) says it is impressed with measures bar owners have put in place to curb underage patronage this festive season.
LCC Public Relations Officer Henry Kapata says operations by LCC last night revealed that strict measures bar owners helped to keep away underage patrons from their premises.
Mr. Kapata said the local authority only managed to apprehend two underage patrons in all the 19 night clubs they inspected in the city.
Mr. Kapata said in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today that this was the kind of partnership that the council wanted to see coming from bar owners.
He, however, cautioned night clubs and bars that may be harboring underage patrons to thwart the council’s operations that they risk having their licenses revoked if they continue with the trend.
He disclosed that of the seven bars that the city council recommended to the Liquor Licensing Board not to be given licenses, none of them were given.
Mr. Kapata said the council will spare no effort in ensuring that underage patrons stay as far away from bars as possible so that they are modeled into the kind of responsible citizens that can contribute meaningfully to the development of the nation.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kapata disclosed that the council has prepared a list of underage patrons it apprehended and will be sent to their head teachers at their various schools.
He said of the 216 underage patrons, 114 are from Munali constituency which he said indicates how rampant underage drinking in Munali constituency is.
Mr. Kapata said this measure is only meant to dissuade underage drinking saying parents cannot be spending so much money to their children’s education only for the children to chose beer drinking as a career.
ZANIS
Your efforts as council I think is what is paying off, please continue this great job. Inspect even more we need those youngsters to concentrate on books so that they help the country in future to develop and not help to destroy it, please Mr Kapata epashili pakuleka.