SOME bar and nightclub owners in Gweru have come under the spotlight for the wrong reasons after opening for business in violation of Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
A snap survey by ZBC News revealed that some informal traders are back on the street, ignoring designated points while congesting the city centre in direct violation of lockdown rules.
What is even more worrying is a disturbing trend where bar owners are selling alcohol in broad daylight after somehow finding a way to dodge sporadic raids by law enforcement agents.
This comes at a time when the sale of alcohol is restricted to supermarkets under level two of the national lockdown.
An investigation by ZBC news revealed that some bar owners are selling alcohol using the backdoor while shebeens have resurfaced in most residential areas.
The script is the same for top night clubs in the central business district.
Chairperson of the Midlands COVID-19 provincial task force, Senator Larry Mavhima who is also the minister of state, says government will not hesitate to cancel licenses for those found of the wrong side of the law.
“We have heard such reports in our weekly updates from our security teams. We cannot allow lawlessness to prevail in the province. We are fighting an invisible enemy that requires strict adherence to the law. We will soon be cancelling licenses of such enterprises. We don’t care how connected such individuals might be,” said the minister.
The Midlands province has since recorded two Covid-19 related deaths and with the number of positive cases surging each day, the government has hinted on reviewing the lockdown restrictions.
Zimbabwe has so far recorded 1034 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths. In a daily COVID-19 update, the Minister of Health and Child Care reported 49 confirmed cases this Monday the 13th of July 2020.
