News / National
'Legalise shebeens,' Mzembi tells Zimbabwe Parliament
07 Oct 2015 at 14:56hrs | Views
The ministry of Tourism and Hospitality is lobbying for the legalisation of shebeens in order to lure tourists to townships as part of fulfillment of the country's economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset).
A shebeen is an informal, unlicensed establishment or a private house selling alcohol but typically regarded as slightly disreputable. They were popular in Zimbabwe, both before and after independence.
The Tourism Minister, Walter Mzembi, today told Parliement that government is considering legalising outlawed shebeens.
He said they will be re-branded and called home hospitality industries. However he did not give a time frame of the process. Police routinely raid shebeens which are mostly in townships in most centres countrywide.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Routes Africa Summit in Victoria Falls last year, Mzembi said his ministry was lobbying for legalisation of shebeens in a bid to attract tourists into townships.
"As part of ZimAsset, we are working on bringing back shebeens to the townships to provide entertainment and employment opportunities to our people, that is what value addition and beneficiation is all about.
"Tourists have also been confined to resort areas where a few people have continued to benefit, but we are saying our people in the townships can also benefit by attracting tourists with an upgraded shebeen concept," said Mzembi.
Governments of Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana banned shebeens after they were said to be promoting vice, especially prostitution but the initial bans were instituted by the colonial governments who sought to crack down on what they termed insurgency gatherings.
Mzembi said shebeen owners would go through the normal procedures of business licencing and applicants would be required to have minimal standard infrastructure.
"Applicants of shebeen licences should have infrastructure that will meet the general standards of a public place, including a proper toilet, so people must start building up towards this development," said Mzembi.
A shebeen is an informal, unlicensed establishment or a private house selling alcohol but typically regarded as slightly disreputable. They were popular in Zimbabwe, both before and after independence.
The Tourism Minister, Walter Mzembi, today told Parliement that government is considering legalising outlawed shebeens.
He said they will be re-branded and called home hospitality industries. However he did not give a time frame of the process. Police routinely raid shebeens which are mostly in townships in most centres countrywide.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Routes Africa Summit in Victoria Falls last year, Mzembi said his ministry was lobbying for legalisation of shebeens in a bid to attract tourists into townships.
"As part of ZimAsset, we are working on bringing back shebeens to the townships to provide entertainment and employment opportunities to our people, that is what value addition and beneficiation is all about.
"Tourists have also been confined to resort areas where a few people have continued to benefit, but we are saying our people in the townships can also benefit by attracting tourists with an upgraded shebeen concept," said Mzembi.
Governments of Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana banned shebeens after they were said to be promoting vice, especially prostitution but the initial bans were instituted by the colonial governments who sought to crack down on what they termed insurgency gatherings.
Mzembi said shebeen owners would go through the normal procedures of business licencing and applicants would be required to have minimal standard infrastructure.
"Applicants of shebeen licences should have infrastructure that will meet the general standards of a public place, including a proper toilet, so people must start building up towards this development," said Mzembi.
Source - Byo24News
