The Sunday News
Walter Mswazie in Masvingo
ALL villagers intending to brew traditional beer popularly known as “seven days” must get an operating licence from their local authority which will specify the amount brewed, amount that will be sold and the day and time it will be sold, police have said.
The call by police comes at a time it has emerged that at least 40 murder cases have been reported in Masvingo Province between January and October this year, some linked to beer brawls.
Addressing traditional leaders, church leaders and villagers at Chinorumba High School in Zaka during police’s anti-murder campaign on Thursday, the officer commanding Masvingo Province, Senior Assistant Commissioner Martha Mafolo, said according to the Traditional Beer Act Chapter 14:24, those selling traditional brews are expected to have an operating licence.
The Act mandates that everyone who brews beer should have a licence, failure of which he or she can be prosecuted.
She said it was worrying that the province continues to record high cases of murder although this year’s figure was 11 percent lower than the 45 cases reported during the same year last year.
“As your officer commanding police in Masvingo, I want to express my disappointment over the rate at which you kill each other in the province. Since January this year to end of October, police have received 40 cases of murder compared to 45 cases in the same period last year. While the figure is less than last year in the period under review, it remains a cause of grave concern,” said Snr Asst Comm Mafolo.
She said the figures showed that in every month, at least four people are killed in Masvingo and Zaka district was the worst after recording 12 cases in the 10 months although still lower than the 17 cases reported within the same period last year.
She said from the four policing districts in the province which are; Masvingo Central, Masvingo West, Chiredzi and Masvingo East which covers Zaka, the latter accounts for the highest number of murder cases every month.
“We have identified a number of avoidable disputes which lead to people to fight and subsequently resulting in loss of life.
Some deaths are a result of domestic violence between children and parents or between married couples where they end up fighting. Some murder cases emanate from beer brawls between patrons, between boyfriends and girlfriends, child abuse, robbery, witchcraft accusation, to name but just a few,” she said. Snr Asst Comm Mafolo said some of the reasons why people were committing murder were silly.
“Some reasons used to commit murder are silly, like a father who beat his son to death over farting. Is that the reason why an innocent boy can lose his life? Parents, let us exercise some form of restraint when we get angry.”
She challenged traditional leaders to counsel their subjects so that they do not engage in violence and urged members of the public to seek counselling from church elders, chiefs and family members when there is a dispute. Over the years, Masvingo Province has topped in the number of murder cases raising concern among the police.
