Nampa
21 April 2005
Windhoek — THE Walvis Bay municipality, in collaboration with the Namibian Police, has started clamping down on the mushrooming illegal shebeens at the coastal town.
The municipality has started issuing warning letters to unlicensed shebeens, following a general meeting held last week Thursday at Kuisebmond.
At the meeting, municipal representatives explained the finer points of the Liquor Act as well as the licensing procedures to shebeen owners.
In an interview with Nampa yesterday, Nollito Morques of the munici-pality's corporate communication department stressed that the issue of illegal shebeens is now becoming a main concern to the authorities.
Morques disclosed that there are 375 shebeens in Walvis Bay of which only 14 are licensed.
"We are not saying people must not do business. Of course, it is a way of earning a living for our people, but all what we want is to put a limit to the number of shebeens. If not, we might end up having shebeens everywhere. This is why we have a Liquor Act and shebeen regulations to govern the operation of this business," he said.
As part of the campaign, all shebeens will receive notices to obtain a license from the Erongo Liquor Committee and the 361 unlicensed shebeen owners are obliged to register their businesses with the municipality.
The police and health department, Morques added, will inspect the shebeens after the initial grace period.
"The police have vowed to act against anybody running an illegal shebeen," he warned. Meanwhile, Mor-ques also noted that the issue of noise pollution at shebeens is yet another problem that some residents at the town have complained about. The issue will also receive attention during the current campaign against illegal shebeens, he said.
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