By JOWIT SALUSEKI –

IT is only 06:00 hours in the morning and at a makeshift shebeen in Chamboli Township in Kitwe, patrons are already seated on wooden benches sipping opaque beer in carefully cut plastic containers.
The patrons all look intoxicated and extremely tired because they have already swallowed one too many.
With the advent of many opaque beer industries and cheaply made local spirits which are very popular, particularly in sprawling settlements where they fetch at a cheaper price than factory-made drinks, control on what time the bars selling these commodities open or close has continued to be a huge challenge for the local authorities despite the existence a Statutory Instrument.
Although it is understood that alcohol is not an ordinary commodity as it has been part of human civilization for thousands of years and at the same it is linked to connation of pleasure and sociability in the minds of many, its rather proving to be a daunting task for councils to enforce the law on when to open and close the pubs in the townships.
The unwavering tendency and appetite of flocking to bars by beer lovers in the infancy of the day is a semblance of the ilk occurring in almost all areas across the country.
Youths are the majority of those congregating at the various drinking spots dotted transversely in the nation.
If more time is spent at the ‘watering‘ houses, one would be left wondering what time the drinkers themselves engage in productive duties to put food on their tables if they can choose to patronize the drinking spots in the early hours of the morning.
It is also a known fact that excessive alcohol consumption can harm health as well as social relations, with the nature and the severity of the effects depending on both the amount of alcohol consumed over time and the pattern of drinking.
At the makeshift drinking place in Chamboli, deafening music was blaring from the giant speakers mounted in the adjacent corners as the imbibers gulped their Chibuku beer, doubling it with gambling from the 10 Bonanza machines stationed within the poorly constructed structure.
Eshron Chipeta, the barman who himself is in his early 20s, claimed that the horde of patrons pressurise him to open the bar as early as they wish because they could not withstand their insatiable thirsty for the Chibuku and other cheap spirits.
In fact, Eshron has decided to partition part of the bar into a bedroom in order to be attending to the influx of the customers who defy the State’s directive for bars to operate within the stipulated timeframe.
The Liquor Act CAP 162 of the laws of Zambia clearly stipulates that bars are supposed to be opened around 10:00 hours and are expected to be closed before midnight.
But bar owners seem resign not to obey the law.
It is a well know fact that in Zambia, and most African countries, careless abuse of alcohol, which sometimes goes hand in hand with prostitution and sexual immorality, tops the class of behaviours understood as deviance and unacceptable.
While cases of arrests are there for record’s sake, operations of drinking places away from the stipulated time has continued to be the order of the day, notwithstanding the existence of fast track courts to punish truants.
Curfews operated by State police to arrest those who abrogate the directive when they defy the law have also done little to deter would be offenders.
Late last year, the Kitwe City Council swung into action and arrested a number of bar owners for allowing under age youths in their bars and opening the outlets earlier than the recommended time. But the trend has continued unabated.
A council official who preferred anonymity attributed to low staffing levels at most municipalities which he says has made it difficult for the local authorities to apprehend bar owners who abrogate the trading hours.
The official said there is need to beef up the council police to apprehend bar owners abrogating laws on the trading hours.
He observed that since the law was effected in 2012, a number of bar owners have continued abrogating the law.
“We do conduct periodical operations on those bar owners who do not operate within the stipulated trading hours but it has been a challenge because of lack of adequate manpower,” he said.
Some people feel the council lacks the mantle to crack the whip on offenders leading to the erring bar owners to continue defying the law.
Kafula Mulenga, a resident of Kitwe who has been observing bars operating outside the stipulated time, describes the situation as horrific, adding that the councils should not relent in their quest of bringing the culprits to book.
According to him, the bar proprietors were just deliberately ignoring the laws and orders of the State.
His line of thought was that even if the bar owners wanted to make huge sums of money, it was better for them to sell their commodities within the operating hours.
Makati Munsaka believes that the councils in the country should come up with strict measures which include not renewing trading licenses of bars and night clubs contravening the law on when to open and close bars.
He urged bars and night club proprietors to abide by the Statutory Instrument on opening and closing of bars and ensure that they operate within the confines of the law.
Zambia is not the only country with a law on operating time for drinking places because in 2011, Kenya passed a law which restricts sale of alcohol, bar opening and closing times.
That law prescribes penalties on offending brewers, sellers, patrons, etcetera.
Similarly, in 2006, Botswana announced a reduction in liquor licensing hours with bars operating from 17:00 hours to 23:00 hours.
It also increased the price of beer.