The 'Joys' Of Drinking Chibuku

GALE NGAKANE
Correspondent | Monday February 1, 2010 00:00

Except for the fact that patrons sit inside a grass-thatched shed, there is every sign of neglect in comparison to the spotlessly clean bar which is housed next to the grocery shop. Equally, there is a grass-thatched shed adjacent to the lager bar where patrons who want fresh air can sit while they quaff the frothy stuff. It is the case in all places of drinking; Chibuku depots are hidden away in the recesses of compounds.

In the Shebeens, patrons of Chibuku dens sit outside and sometimes have to endure the harsh weather if they do not huddle under the eaves of grass-thatched huts.

Those imbibing lager, wine or other liquor are offered chairs and sit around oblong tables where they chat about the latest news. They sip from clean glasses, which they occasionally clink together toasting their successes.

Besides Chibuku depots at Mafika and Savemore Grocery store, there are about 10 Chibuku spoto (shebeens) around Borolong, which is presently enjoying a lull in crime. At the Mafika Chibuku depot, patrons huddle around a well-worn wooden table. On this particular day, four of them were guardedly holding their playing cards.

The other four were obviously spectators beholding a fratricidal contest. It was the turn of the man sponting a goatee with his cap pulled over his eyes. He was building a 10 and quickly retrieved a six, which had been discarded by the opponent on his right side. He then took a four and, together with the six, he placed them on a growing pile in front of him. His partie (partner) who was sitting opposite was nodding satisfactorily in anticipation of a big win.

But then, he threw up his arms in despair as the next opponent (the partie to the opponent on the right) produced a 10 and scooped the cards, which he placed in front of him, a smug smile playing on his lips. 'Hey o re bolaile mister,' he lamented, and then turned his venom on his partie. 'Kante, why did you not eat the ten. O a njesa wa itse (you are playing poorly),' he accused the partner, who was looking sheepish.

Inevitably, the partner had a 10, which he could have used to eat the pile. 'I had thought you would eat it yourself,' the criticised partner defended himself.

Chibuku guzzlers always thumb their noses at lager louts. Kesetsenao Kelebonye, 47, a regular at the Mafika Chibuku depot, who replaced the losers at the table for a round of casino, says he does not know what the fuss is all about as he is proud of his red-blue-white carton. 'The good thing about Chibuku is that when I am hungry and I drink it, hunger goes away. You have to know that this is sorghum by the way. Lager is no good when drunk on an empty stomach,' he said.

Kelebonye who rents a room nearby and works for the Chinese construction company building the  new stadium, says there is a lot of camaraderie among Chibuku drinkers.

'Most beer drinkers like sitting alone and when usually they come into a bar room, they never bother to greet those they find there. But with us, we do not only greet each other but whenever one of us is down, we share with him. You will never see a beer drinker sharing his can with anyone,' Kelebonye says in between sips from the carton - as if speaking through the microphone- and annexing cards from his casino opponent.

'One thing good about us also is that we like playing our cards. Since I came here around 5pm, I have been playing cards with my friends,' he says. A man who only gave his name as Charlie, who had been quiet, concentrating on the next move in the intense card contest spoke out in his gravel voice for the first time. He had built a nine and a five thrown by Kelebonye seemed to be giving him problems as he hesitated about what to do. 'Banwi ba dibiri ba rata gore sotla bare re tlaa jewa ke dikolobe (Beer drinkers always speak ill of us saying pigs will eat us), but you will see some of them with red lips caused by 'ditatswa'. They drink heavy stuff like whisky and brandy which has serious consequences for their health,' he says.

Though this is unsubstantiated, it is said that the breathalysers cannot detect the alcohol in the blood of someone who has taken Chibuku.