SEX DENS EXPOSED
...Using minors for illicit activities
A SCOURGE has been unearthed where bars owned by foreigners are used as sex dens for minors in Lusaka’s Florida Street commonly known as ‘Devil Street’ in Emmasdale area.
And a spirited young Councillor for the area, Annie Chinyanta has literally taken up the fight against foreign nationals who are using minors in their bars.
Councillor Chinyanta has vowed to shut down the bars, saying that such activities were promoting immorality among teenagers, who she said were future leaders.
According to the Councillor, most of the bars on “Devil Street” were owned by foreigners who were up to no good.
“I will ensure that these bars are shut down, so that this serves as an example to foreigners who come into the country to corrupt the morals of our children.
“I have already engaged the relevant authorities and we are going to scrutinise all the bars on Devil Street. I am on it and we are not going to allow our chil- dren to be wasted in such a manner,” Councillor Chinyanta said.
On Saturday night, a combined team of Zambia Police and Lusaka City Council (LCC) police accompanied by Councillor Chinyanta swooped on “Devil Street” and arrested over 50 minors from East Life and Motherland bars, both owned by foreigners.
The minors, some of them as young as eleven years old were picked from the bars between 21:00 hours and 01:00 hrs.
The first bar to be raided was East Life at around 21:00 hrs, after which police abandoned the mission to raid Motherland bar due to unknown reasons.
However, they (police) were forced to go back and raid the bar around 00:30 hrs, after Councillor Chinyanta demanded that the exercise be carried out.
The two bars have allegedly been using minors, majority of whom are girls, in immoral and other sexual activities.
East Life bar is owned by a Rwandese national, while Motherland is owned by an Eritrean, who have both gone into hiding after the raid.
Councillor Chinyanta was shocked that police had disappeared after the first raid and released the care taker for East Life bar who was supposed to lead them to the owner of the bar.
She was however, happy that the police went back and raided Motherland bar where more minors where arrested.
“The plan was to raid two bars, East Life and Motherland, where our children are being used in all sorts of promiscuous activities. After raiding East Life, police disappeared, I had to call the officer in charge and demand they continue with the exercise on the second bar,” she said.
Meanwhile, Christian Democratic Congress (CDC) president Danny Pule has demanded for the immediate arrest of the foreign owners of the bars.
Dr Pule said Zambia was a Christian nation and it is unacceptable for such activities take place. Dr Pule urged the police to be proactive and handle the issue as a matter of emergency, as it involved minors.