Shebeen Patrons Feed On Garbage?

Patrons at these drinking holes are said to be eating food prepared from leftovers picked from refuse dumps. The scavenged foodstuffs range from canned products to perishables such as meat. Sources say that people come from as far away as Monarch to buy the food prepared from stuff retrieved from the landfill. "Some of the stuff is clearly rotten or spoiled but they wash it and sell it," she added. A woman who lives near a shebeen has expressed her disgusts at the practice. "These people (shebeen owners) like all others are not scavenging the foodstuffs for their own consumption but to sell it to unsuspecting individuals. We know that some people forage for food from the dumping sites but it is for their own consumption," she said.

Francistown City Council (FCC) public health specialist Dr. Paul Nashara said that though they are not aware of the situation, measures to educate people against scavenging for food in refuse dumps had to be taken immediately.