A 45-year-old guy is sitting on a makeshift stool and pouring a brownish liquid into tiny bottles in a filthy, dimly lighted room in Mbare, one of Zimbabwe’s busiest slums.
The air is thick with the smell of booze.
The Mbare resident is one of Zimbabwe’s “back yard brewers” who brew fake whiskies, brandies, vodka, and other alcoholic beverages to make ends meet in the face of dwindling economic prospects.
“My life changed when I got into this business,” said the brewer, a former heavy machinery mechanic who did not want to be identified. “I left the [mechanics] industry because it was not paying much any more.”
The homemade brew has gained popularity among young people looking for inexpensive alcohol in township pubs since it is created from ethanol concentrate, diluted with lots of water, and then coloured brown with ingredients primarily from bakery items.
The beverage, which mimics names like Two Keys, Jack Daniels, and King Stallion Brandy, costs $0.50 for a 250ml bottle.
“We always check to see which label has more demand at any given time and make that,” said the brewer who ventured into business in 2011 in what he said now was a crowded market.
“We make the same [alcohol] but put different labels,” he added, chuckling.
Authorities have issued warnings that the practise endangers lives since home brewers lack the tools necessary to adequately evaluate the alcohol content.
In an effort to crack down on the brewing operations, police are increasingly often conducting raids.
According to police spokesperson Paul Nyathi, “wherever we find substances like illicit alcohol, we act,” adding that individuals detained face charges of possessing hazardous drugs.
According to Nyathi, police have detained 4,000 people nationwide since January.
“The police raid us every day … business is not the same,” said the brewer.
“It is now dangerous to display our products.”
According to civil society organisations, alcohol and drug consumption is on the rise in Zimbabwe due to the country’s economic woes, and bogus alcohol brands are a major contributor to the problem.
However, there is no official information on the number of drug addicts in the nation. There are no state funded drug recovery facilities in Zimbabwe.
“The evidence on the ground points to a lot of illicit alcohol use,” said Knowledge Mupembe, a programme officer at Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network. “We advocate for the establishment of public and affordable rehabilitation centres.”
SOURCE: REUTERS
