Harare 'city of booze'

Harare mayor, Bernard Manyenyeni has chided the local authority for licensing more bottle stores at the expense of residential stands, earning itself the tag "booze city".

Manyenyeni said city liquor outlets were "becoming the only game in town at every shopping centre", while council has failed to provide meaningful infrastructure development.

"Picking just a few spots like Highfield (pamaStones), Newlands (Murandy Square), Sunridge (Albury Road), Kuwadzana 6 (best Gango Place in Harare), Hillside (paHuku), Glen Norah, Marlborough (Civic Centre) – you can pick many others," Manyenyeni said.

Compared to other capitals of the world, he said Harare was fast turning into a village of beerhalls, while other facilities such as ablution and parking were being neglected.

Manyenyeni said after visiting capitals such as Kigali in Rwanda, Harare was now an eyesore, as it had been turned into a brewery hub with no off-site infrastructural developmental projects.

"On my suburban stroll yesterday we counted around 20 liquor outlets at pamaStones in Highfield. No new houses – so roughly the same population. As for Warren Park – (Mereki) I won't even comment. This one is a ‘special economic zone' for the breweries.

"These many liquor places don't make a city a city, period."

Manyenyeni said as a way to ensure the city retained its glory, the number of liquor outlets should be reduced and the city fathers also enact a law banning political parties from littering the streets with their campaign posters.