‘CURTAIL RISING ALCOHOL ABUSE BY WOMEN’
WOMEN, some with babies on their backs, are patronising beer drinking places and consuming alcohol excessively more than men, a situation which Chief Shaibila of Mkushi says is a vice that must be controlled immediately. Advisor to the traditional leader Joseph Zimba, speaking on behalf of the chief, said he had noted with concern that women in his chiefdom were in the forefront of abusing alcohol more than men. Mr Zimba said in an interview that the situation was aggravated by some women who went to taverns and other drinking places with babies and drunk themselves senseless, a situation he described as sad and as which promoted moral decay in society. Mr Zimba noted that children under the age of 16 were not allowed in bars. "I am really concerned and worried about women drinking beer excessively. Something must be done to correct the situation. Women should be responsible than being careless with life," Mr Zimba said. He said instead of indulging themselves in beer drinking, the women should be responsible enough and look after their families. Mr Zimba appealed to Government to ensure that alcohol abuse by women was curtailed immediately for sanity to prevail in the area. He also expressed concern with juveniles patronising pubs and drinking beer. Meanwhile, the Department of Community Development and Social Welfare in Mkushi had started enumerating beneficiaries of the phase two social cash transfer programme. Mkushi District Commissioner Luka Mwamba said in an interview that the department targeted to capture more than , beneficiaries in phase two of the programme.