FAITH NDOU
MASVINGO-More and more liquor outlets are being opened in Masvingo City leaving imbibers spoilt for choice.
Recently during a full council meeting the City of Masvingo approved the opening of two more outlets including the one run by outspoken Zanu PF Cllr Sheron Marombedze at 58 Shuvai Mahofa Street (formerly Hellet Street).
The developments were revealed in the minutes of the council’s Health and Housing Committee.
The committee also approved an application by Patience Chingarande to operate a bottle store at Stand Number 15, Sheba Gava Musungwa Street (formerly Bradburn Street).
The two approvals will add to the number of liquor outlets operating in the city at a time when local authorities are increasingly expected to balance business development with concerns over public health, waste management and the social impact of alcohol outlets.
Meanwhile, the committee recommended that Varun Beverages Zimbabwe (Private) Limited, represented by Rakesh Yadav, be granted a liquor development permit to operate a wholesale outlet at Stand Number 899, Factory Road.
The application, however, attracted concerns from the committee over the amount of litter reportedly generated by the Varun’s products and what council described as a lack of initiative by the company in providing public bins.
As a result, the Director of Housing and Social Services, Simbarashe Mandishona was tasked with inviting the company to a meeting with members of the Health, Housing and Environmental Services Committee for further engagement on its operations.
Although the application was initially put in abeyance, the committee subsequently resolved to recommend that the liquor development permit be granted, alongside the proposed engagement with the company.
The approval of the new liquor outlets is likely to increase the availability of alcohol within the city, while placing greater responsibility on council and operators to ensure that the businesses comply with licensing, environmental and public health requirements.
Council’s concerns over litter in the Varun Beverages application also highlight the need for businesses benefiting from the city’s commercial environment to play a greater role in maintaining cleanliness and managing waste generated by their products.
