Less froth for KBL

Government might consider amending the traditional beer regulations, hardly a year since they were first implemented, a senior government minister has said.

Trade and Industry minister, Dorcas Makgato-Malesu is said to have announced this during Kgotla meetings in Mogogoru and Matlhalerweng wards in Molepolole earlier this week. According to a source who attended one of the meetings on Monday, the minister made it clear that they are seriously considering the amendment, but could not state when they   would be brought to parliament. The meeting comprised mainly traditional beer and Chibuku sellers. She said this is a consultative process that involves both government and stakeholders.

“The attendants told the minister they are losing business because the hours of trading are limited,” said the source, refusing to be named. “They want the trading hours to be flexible’. The meeting comes just months after a group of Molepolole hawkers and traditional beer sellers approached Molepolole North and South MPs Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri and Daniel Kwelagobe in a desperate bid to have them (MPs) air their concerns over rigid beer regulations in parliament.

The results did not bear fruit, as only Kwelagobe was able to give them an ear. Matlhabaphiri is also the assistant minister of health. His ministry has over the years voiced its concerns on alcohol abuse. The regulations were also introduced as a way of curbing excess drinking, which ‘contributes’ to social ills. Efforts to get comment from the minister were not successful. Traditional beer regulations among others bar the selling of Chibuku in residential areas and limit sales of traditional liquors.

The regulations have also affected profits of Sechaba Brewery Holdings Limited, a company that sells Chibuku. Until the regulations, residential areas were the biggest market of the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) company. Government is also an investor at Sechaba through Botswana Development Corporation (BDC).