Zim has more beerhalls than industries, social amenities
Story By Conrad Mupesa
IN some communities across Zimbabwe, bottle stores and beerhalls now outnumber schools, clinics and industries, prompting questions about the part local authorities play in tackling the country’s escalating drug and substance abuse problem, according to Local Government and Public Works Permanent Secretary Eng Tafadzwa Muguti.
Eng Muguti spoke this morning at a Local Government Transformational Workshop in Kadoma, where he addressed town clerks, secretaries and chief executive officers from all 92 local authorities. District Development Coordinators (DDCs) from around the country and senior Ministry officials are also taking part.
He challenged councils over how they set their priorities when licensing businesses, singling out the spread of bottle stores in residential areas.
“In our locations, bottle stores and beerhalls have overtaken schools, clinics and industries,” he said.
“More people are intoxicated than engaged in anything meaningful. How can a council keep approving licences for beerhalls and bottle stores rather than essential social amenities?”
Eng Muguti urged local authorities to make sure their development and licensing decisions help build productive communities instead of feeding social ills.
He also expressed concern about growth points, noting that some rural district councils were now handing out unserviced residential stands rather than putting infrastructure and economic activity first.
“Growth points were meant to drive economic growth,” he said, cautioning that allocating unserviced stands ran against the country’s development path and President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030.
Eng Muguti called on local authorities to rethink their planning priorities and to ensure that land-use decisions advance economic development, social services and better living standards.
Reporting based on original coverage by Herald.
