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Rutendo Ngara, Chronicle Reporter 

POLICE in Bulawayo have warned members of the public against buying alcohol from unlicensed traders.

Speaking during a festive awareness campaign in the Central Business District (CBD) yesterday, Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Simango said vendors smuggle alcohol into the country and sell it at cheaper prices than licensed dealers.

“This alcohol is not safe for drinking. You can note that the plastic bottles will be sealed but at the bottom there are very tiny holes. They pick these bottles from bins and any other dumping places and they will use syringes to fill in the alcohol and we don’t know where they are taking it from,” said Chief Insp Simango.

 She said most of the alcohol sold on the streets has a different taste from the original brand.

“You will find out that the bottle might be branded Two Keys but from the reports that we got, most of them taste different from the original brand. You can also note that brands might be wrongly spelt. I saw a Two Keys which was spelt like ‘Two kys.’ There is no company which can make such a mistake,” said Chief Insp Simango.

She appealed to the licensed alcohol dealers to obey the law and not to sell alcohol to children under the age of 18. 

“We appeal to the licensed alcohol dealers to work hand in hand with police to avoid crime this festive season and not to sell alcohol to children under the age of 18. Children will be vulnerable to all kinds of abuse if they are drunk,” she said.

 She urged members of the public to be alert for pick pockets and robbers.

Last week Chief Insp Simango urged members of the public to be peaceful, and enjoy a crime free festive season

“We seek to advise members of the public that in an endeavour to create a conducive and crime free environment and as a measure of ensuring that all our valued clients are safe and their properties are secure during the festive season, we have enhanced deployments of more police officers in the CBD as well as in all suburbs around Bulawayo Province,” she said. 

Chief Insp Simango said anti-corruption teams will also be checking on illicit activities by both members of the public and members of the force.

“As police we are urging both the public and officers to therefore desist from engaging in corrupt activities,” she said. 

Chef Insp Simango said the police will not be lenient on errant motorists. 

“We are also encouraging motorists to exercise extra care on the roads since there will be a high influx of people who are coming into and out of Bulawayo. We therefore urge motorists to always observe all traffic laws, road rules and regulations to avoid accidents,” she said. — @missngara