15 Jan 2013

The decision by  government to bar sale of traditional beer from homes might have infuriated some squares of the public.

However, the decision which confined the sale of traditional beer such as Chibuku, popularly known as shake-shake, Khadi, laela mmago and others to depots seemed to have been a good riddance for the society.

 In particular, Otse  in the South East district, about 15 kilometers from Lobatse  on the way to Gaborone is among some villages reaping from the once unpopular decision.

 The dusty small village, which its peaceful, serene and jovial atmosphere was nearly thwarted by numerous shebeens operating from homes, is regaining its original foothold. According to Kgosi Moreti Tshepe, there has been a sharp decline in cases reported to the village Kgotla, which showed that something drastic has happened.

For instance, since  Christmas and New Year holidays up to the second week of the year, not even a single offence was brought to their attention; something he said was peculiar.

“I have wholeheartedly accepted these regulations, we are starting to see positive results,” said Kgosi Tshephe who is the village headman of records.  Notwithstanding the positive outlook, Kgosi Tshepe is concerned that alcohol has had a huge dent in the lives of many Otse youth and restoration would take longer.

   “It would take long but eventually we will have our children back,” he added.  Although the regulations have enraged shebeen owners, Kgosi Tshepe said they did not have much resistance in Otse, as some grasped the opportunity to revive their fortunes.

 Among those is Ms Tlhobogang Ntlale who operates Semphete Depot, which is amongst the village’s popular spots. “I understood the reasons advanced by the government and I did not waste time to relocate,” she said in an interview.

Since relocating from home in August last year, the business has thrived despite having to conform to new hours of operation. “I can now attend to my family duties which I could not afford because some customers would come here early in the morning,” she said.

Despite the name Semphete, most of the villagers are stuck with the old identity of Kwa-ga-Tlhobogang, loosely translated Tlhobogang’s home, which could perhaps connote the depot originated from her home.

For a fact, Ms Tlhobogang’s home had been a popular shebeen since the late 1970s and the thought of operating outside home never crossed her mind until the introduction of the traditional beer regulations of 2011.

  “This one is a business. I operate a business now,” she said confidently adding that relocating was not a flat race. To start with, she did not have a place of operation other than home, but one of her brothers leased her business plot, where she constructed the now popular depot.

  And since moving to the new operation, surprisingly, Ms Ntlale has seen that the traditional beer regulations have brought positive behaviour to the villagers and lessened abuse of alcohol.

 Alcohol and drug abuse had been a peril for school authorities countrywide and some parents were often fingered for neglecting their children’s schoolwork in favour of intoxicating themselves.

Otse Primacy School head teacher, Ms Tuelo Tshuba also conceded that alcohol abuse has led to negligence of students by parents, which forced the school to put strategies in place to quell the problem.

And with the regulations starting to curb the problem, school authorities, particularly Ms Tshuba could be relived of the burden imposed by the alcoholic beverages. ENDS