14 Oct 2025

The sale of alcohol to underage persons is a criminal activity and residents of Maun have been implored to report such incidents to relevant authorities.

The call was made by the Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Mr Tiroeaone Ntsima on Monday when responding to concerns raised by residents during a consultative meeting on the Liquor Amendment Bill.

“I equally agree with you that stringent measures should be taken upon such traders who sell drugs and alcohol to children and I also urge you to report any illegal activities to the law enforcement authority to ensure your children are not exposed to such environments,” Mr Ntsima said.

The minister revealed that the law exists to safeguard the health and welfare of children, hence selling alcohol to them was prohibited and there was a restriction barring the location of liquor outlets close to schools.

He said it was disturbing that some people traded illegally while some among the licenced were not compliant to the law, resulting in children having easy access to alcohol in their communities.

Mr Ntsima also urged members of the public to intervene and help address the problem of drug and substance abuse, and advised liquor outlets to fully comply with the regulations governing trading in alcohol as stipulated in their licenses.

He highlighted that the envisaged liquor bill proposes to increase penalties in order to increase compliance with the Act.

“It was clear that with the current law, people keep on violating it because the fines are easily affordable and we believe that increased penalties can be effective at increasing compliance.”

Residents also learnt that the new bill also seeks to reduce the distance of 500 metres to 250 metres between alcohol outlets and schools as well as to ensure outlets playing music were sound proof to avoid noise pollution.

Mr Ntsima also revealed that the envisaged bill would prohibit alcohol advertising on bill boards adjacent to schools.

Some residents had complained that liquor consumption by minors was a serious concern calling on the government to take stiff action against business owners who sell alcohol and other habit-forming substances like drugs to children.

They said it was disturbing as youngsters were initiated into drugs and alcohol at an early age leading to risky behaviour and compromised decision-making.

While they appreciated that some people were making a living through the sale of alcohol including traditional beer, they expressed displeasure that some have now turned their yards into taverns or shebeens and were operating illegally, therefore creating a noisy and chaotic environment within the community.

A concerned parent, Ms Tshepho Mokhawa complained that shebeens operating within the community without following any regulations were a significant part of the problem.

She said it was heart-breaking to see how easily children could get hold of alcohol and drugs calling on effective solutions to curb the menace.

“We need stricter measures to protect our kids because some parents even give their children drugs to sell to their peers at school,” she lamented.

Mr Otshotswe Thabare also expressed his distress over the ease with which minors could access alcohol citing that in other countries, alcohol outlets were placed far from residences to avoid noise pollution and exposure of children to alcohol use. ENDS