LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes
@SunZambian
BAR owners have been pushed to extremes because income has been greatly affected by the control measures put in place to control the outbreak of COVID-19, this has resulted in some of us to be selling alcohol as if we are selling marijuana – in secret, Samuel Zulu has said.
In separate interviews, Mr Zulu a bar owner in Lusaka’s Kamulanga area said that it was unfortunate that bar owners were advised to completely close down their bars in the prevention of the COVID -19 because that was the only business he had as a source of income.
In an interview with the Sun, Mr Zulu said despite closing his bar he was selling beer secretly so that he could provide for his family and pay rentals because his landlord was expecting rent from him at the end of the month.
He urged Government to allow bar owners have their bars open every day but only for people to buy take-aways like, they did in supermarkets so that they could be able to provide for their families.
“I own a bar but it is closed because of COVID-19 and the landlord wants rent money and my family needs to eat,” he laments.
“We are now selling beer like marijuana in secret so that I can feed my family when I see someone with a bottle I ask in private if they want beer if they do I sell them and they drink from their homes”, he said.
Meanwhile, Kamulanga area chairperson, Robert Namukakala said that life was hard for bar owners because they were not making any income and that selling beer was there source of living.
Mr Namukakala said that COVID-19 had brought more harm than good to the people in the community not only were the people afflicted by the disease but the economy had been affected.
“But we are appealing to government to have mercy on us they should allow us to work just for two hours so that we can be making some money unlike closing throughout for a month,
“Bars can be opening at 18:00 hours up to 22:00 hours so that people can drink beer. We want people to be refreshed after a long day of work, some do hard jobs but once they drink their bodies are relaxed,” he said.
Mr Namukakala said that because of COVID-19 many people in the area had resulted excessive drinking to of a local beer known as Kachasu and Junta because there was a strong rumor that if they drank such kind of alcohol they would not have the virus.