Shebeen operator arrested in minors’ boozing viral video scandal

Harare (New Ziana)-Police on Saturday said a suspected 23-year-old Mbare shebeen operator had been arrested for allegedly supplying alcohol to a group of 11 minors whose video downing
the intoxicants in Harare’s Central Business District over the Christmas holidays went viral on social media.

Phaeteon Mutiyaya, who allegedly operated a shebeen at Block 2C10, Nenyere Flats, Mbare is believed to have supplied the minors with the alcohol they were filmed drinking on Boxing Day with the video going viral the following day, the police said in a statement on X.

They said all the minors involved had now been, and their ages ranged from five to 11 years, well below the age of 18 at which someone is permitted by the law to drink alcohol.

All the minors reside at Nenyere Flats with their parents and guardians who have since been located by the police.

“The arrest led to the recovery of 16×1.25 litres Super Chibuku, 38x200ml Two Keys Whisky, 25x200ml Gin, 20 empty beer crates, 5x500ml Detroit beer, 5×5000 Skippers cane spirit, 3x750ml Heinken beer, 2x750ml Gondons Gin, 2x750ml Robertson wine, 1x750ml Chando wine, 1x750ml Omega Whisky, 1x750ml double Black Whisky, 1×750 Discovery Vodka, 1x750ml Pushkin vodka and 1x750ml Black Label quart,” national police
spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said in a statement.

Nyathi said the police established that the minors used money given to them as Christmas presents to buy alcohol after which they travelled from Mbare to the CBD where they linked up with two other minors from Epworth.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police warns liquor outlet operators against supplying or selling liquor to persons under the age of 18,” he said.

“The police will arrest violators of the Liquor Act without fear or favour. Operators of shebeens or illegal liquor outlets will face the full wrath of the law.”

The incident comes at a time when the Liquor Licensing Board (LLB) is reviewing all liquor licences issued countrywide to try and weed out bottle stores and other liquor outlets that have been flagged for
various infractions over the years.

In a recent notice, the LLB said renewal of liquor licences is not going to be automatic as it seeks to bring sanity in the distribution, trends and patterns in the industry with all renewals being subject to the board’s arbitrate.

Meanwhile, the police have reported the injury of 18 passengers in a serious road traffic accident involving a Mwayera bus at the 42km peg along the Buhera-Murambinda road around 1pm on Friday.

The Harare-bound bus with 63 people on board veered off the road and landed on its side. The injured were taken to Chivhu Hospital for treatment.

Separately the three people killed when a Nissan Caravan they were travelling in was involved in an accident at the 133km peg along the Harare Chirundu road on Thursday have been named as Thomas Kunze (32) of Zimpress, Mhondoro, Last Gwanzura a male adult of Magunje, Hurungwe and Fungai Chakachinja a female adult of Siakobvu, Binga.

New Ziana