Kutlwano Station Commander, Superintendent Motsholathebe Mothibi said on Monday they arrested three Chibuku traders who were trading in their home in contravension of the new traditional beer regulation, which came into effect on July 1st. Mothibi said the motive behind the campaign was to visit the Chibuku traders and alert them about the regulation and monitor if they were obeying it. "The ones we have arrested have been charged with the offence of trading without a license and have offered to each pay a P500 fine. If they do not pay they will be sentenced to imprisonment of not less than six months in prison, " he said. He explained that the campaign is still on-going as they so far covered Blocks 1, 8 and 9 on Monday but are still to cover other areas in their jurisdiction.
"The campaign will continue until all Chibuku traders obey the new regulation as we will be charging them," said Mothibi. He said Chibuku traders are aware of the law but said they decided to start selling again in their homes because they want money to feed their families. "Chibuku traders bare re ba kgaola tlhogo (say we are killing them) because they cannot stay home with nothing to give to their children, " he said. Mothibi revealed that on their arrival at the shebeens, customers kept continuously murmuring discontentment at the closing of their drinking holes. "We arrested one trader with 39 chibuku crates and we do not know how she purchased them. We do not know if the truck delivering chibuku is the one that delivered to them or they went straight to Botswana Breweries Limited (BBL), " he said. The 39 cartons were also seized and destroyed by the police. He said they still have to visit BBL to ask if they are still delivering Chibuku to homes as the beer regulation now restricts them from doing so.
