Kgafela plans chibuku ban

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Monday March 22, 2010 00:00

While Khadi is brewed at home, Chibuku is a factory product from Botswana Breweries. But like Khadi, Chibuku is mainly sold in homes at drinking holes known as shebeens. Kgafela told The Monitor that shebeens have been identified as contributing to moral decay and they must be closed.

'Yes, you can quote me on that. The next move will be to close the shebeens. They are illegal operations under the law, especially reading the Trade and Liquor Act of 2003, which was never implemented until the minister chose to exempt Chibuku traders from the regulations through the amended Liquor Act of 2008,' Kgafela said. He blamed the political leadership for the proliferation of shebeens in the country.

'It is clear when reading the Trade and Liquor Act of 2003 that Parliament had endorsed that the sale of Chibuku be regulated, but it never was; it continued to be sold in the homes. But our records show that most of the evil, lawlessness and criminal activities occur at shebeens where Chibuku is sold unregulated,' Kgafela said.

He stated that the law is clear that anyone selling Chibuku without a licence can be fined P10,000 or five years in prison. He is however disappointed that the same law is undermined by the minister who gave himself powers elsewhere in the law to exempt Chibuku traders from the licencing requirements.

Kgafela's latest move to enforce discipline in Kgatleng comes at a time when President Ian Khama has produced a national strategy for the promotion of good social values. In the strategy the regulation of sale of traditional beer takes centre-stage.

The Ministry of Trade has been instructed to formulate a law that would criminalise the sale of Chibuku without a license. John Matsheng at Trade and Consumer Affairs confirmed on Friday that they have already formulated a draft law to that effect.