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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
NIGHT life in Victoria Falls has taken a new shape with the sprouting of more than 30 shebeens in Chinotimba and Mkhosana high density suburbs since the start of the lockdown.

Bars and night spots remain prohibited since introduction of the lockdown in March despite other businesses getting the nod to reopen.

Imbibers sought Plan B to beat the Covid-19 restrictions and for the first time the resort town has shebeens. The original meaning of a ‘shebeen’ is a place, normally a home, where alcoholic beverages were sold without a licence.

In Victoria Falls popular spots for hangouts and braais during the day, weekends and night were Shoestrings Backpakers, Army Chalets, Rest Camp, Invuvu, The Vic Falls Club, Grid Bar, KoPanashe, Zambezi House, Boat Club, The River Brewery, Brown Sugar, Comfort Pub and Grill, Sports Bar, Tavern, Old Bar, Mukali Bar and G Sport.

Shoestrings and Boat Club were popular with the white community and tourists, and were traditionally known for huge turnouts during weekends.

Members of the white community have tended to gather as families on weekends at a hide-out outside Victoria Falls where they start with bicycle rides in the morning between 7am and 9am before partying for the rest of the day.

Across town in the high-density suburbs shebeens have become a hit with more than 30 houses reportedly selling beer at night, as imbibers miss their booze, while families also seek to make a dollar or two to cushion themselves against deteriorating lifestyles amid the pandemic.

There are indications that some of the shebeens are basically run by bar owners who use some residents as fronts.

Some shebeen operators also use bar owners to order liquor from Delta where sometimes a liquor licence is needed.

In some instances, residents have complained about noise emanating from the shebeens, which operate deep into the night despite the lockdown.

Those who are neighbours to the shebeens are also concerned about their health as patrons urinate in the vicinity sometimes in the presence of kids and women.

A snap survey by Saturday Leisure showed that shebeens are now popular as town where night life was mainly confined to registered nightspots and hotels has been closed.

Some now also run pool and snooker games at their homes as part of their entertainment.

However, some criminal activities have also been happening at the shebeens.

A couple which operates a shebeen at number 1326 in Chinotimba was recently arrested after allegedly stabbing a patron 32 times with a screw driver before pulling his privates until he became unconscious following a misunderstanding over payment of beer.

Last week a man was also reportedly stabbed in a scuffle with his friends as they walked home from one of the shebeens in Mfelandawonye where residents say there are more than 10 shebeens.
Chinotimba reportedly has about 15 while Mkhosana has about 10.

However, many of the alleged operators were conservative about their shebeen businesses.

“I haven’t had challenges with police. Sometimes I ask someone who has a liquor licence to order beer for me and he delivers at my place. Sometimes I ask people not to drink on site,” said one of the operators who only identified herself as MaSibanda.

Another operator Virgie Mugande who requested for no pictures of herself and her house be taken said she opened a shebeen to eke a living.

“I have minor children who need food. Industry is closed and don’t you think this is being innovative? Actually, this lockdown unlocked certain characters we never imagined before. Some people we never thought could sell beer have opened shebeens. Sometimes you would think there is a party yet it’s actually a shebeen,” said Mugande.

Mufudzi Nyoni of Mkhosana said his was not a shebeen but only a sports and leisure centre for people to play snooker.

“I thought of bringing the pool table home as a temporary measure both to survive and provide leisure for people. It used to be at the Dentola Sports Bar but because we can’t open, we had to bring it home where there is space.

“People were used to playing 10 to 15 games a day at the sports bar and the lockdown had made them redundant hence we brought it here where we can also get a dollar or two. When we set up, we invited friends and police initially thought it was a shebeen but they realized it’s not,” said Nyoni.

He said he makes sure everyone is sanitized and wears a face mask while he also sanitises the pool table, stick and balls every morning.

“Sometimes people bring their own beer but that’s not on a daily basis. Those who want soft drinks buy from a nearby tuck shop. I cannot run a shebeen here because that will be compromising my family’s health as we would need to clean toilets and the yard,” he said.
— @ncubeleon