By Samuel Mbewe
Lusaka — The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA) has expressed serious concern over the increasing abuse, availability, distribution, sale, and open consumption of alcohol, particularly illicit alcohol, in the Central Business District (CBD).
Addressing the media, SAAPA Immediate Past President Evelyn Moloka said the growing trend poses a serious threat to public safety, places a heavy burden on the health system, and undermines order and dignity in urban spaces.
Ms. Moloka stated that the presence of illicit alcohol in the heart of the city raises fundamental questions about the type of city being developed. She stressed that the CBD should be a centre of productivity, safety, and dignity, rather than a hotspot for dangerous substances that destroy lives, families, and communities.
She warned that illicit alcohol, and alcohol abuse in general, presents significant health risks, including poisoning, long-term organ damage, mental health disorders, and preventable deaths.
Ms. Moloka further cautioned that continued inaction could allow the problem to become entrenched and normalized, drawing parallels with the unregulated growth of street vending in urban areas. She noted that once such challenges take root, they become far more difficult and costly to address.
“While enforcement is necessary, there must also be viable alternatives for kachasu producers, including livelihood diversification, skills training, and support to transition into legal and safe income-generating activities in the long term,” she said.
She emphasized that criminalization alone would not solve the problem and called for collective action to address alcohol-related harms.
SAAPA-Zambia has also urged government to accelerate the implementation of the National Alcohol Policy and strengthen enforcement of existing regulations. Ms. Moloka noted that alcohol and drug abuse, if left unaddressed, risk undermining government efforts in children’s rights protection, gender-based violence prevention, road safety, and economic productivity.
She observed that weak enforcement and the availability of cheap alcohol have made harmful consumption widespread, particularly in urban centres.
The organization further called for the introduction of an alcohol levy as a financing mechanism to address alcohol-related harms, alongside sustained support for alternative livelihoods for illicit alcohol producers.
Ms. Moloka added that stronger regulation of alcohol availability and accessibility, as well as stricter controls on marketing and advertising, would reduce harmful consumption, protect children and families, and improve public safety.
She said well-regulated licensed premises contribute to road safety, reduce gender-based violence, ease pressure on the health system and law enforcement, and promote productivity and a healthier workforce—key drivers of national development.
SAAPA concluded that with Zambia’s improved fiscal space following successful debt restructuring, increased investment in the full implementation of the National Alcohol Policy is both timely and necessary.
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