Despite government efforts to curb and reduce drug and alcohol abuse the practice is still growing at a very supersonic pace putting at risk the lives of many youths who are finding the substances as an easy way to happiness.
Spot checks in almost all the townships of Lilongwe and other districts have shown that the rising and growing numbers of ‘zikhuthe’ selling is the main source of the proliferation of chamba.
The practice though in other areas is being done in secret in Lilongwe’s area 1 it is very open to every naked eye and nobody seems to care.
Chamba in this area is being sold like fish on the open and to the dismay of many even some Police officers patronize such places.
One of the sellers alleged that high profile people are the ones who give them the go ahead to sell chamba and that they will not be arrested or reprimanded anyhow.
“Nzakuluakulu izi. We do not fear anything because even Policemen come and here and they see us doing this business. I believe some of them also buy the stuff but It is difficult to mention their names,” he alleged.
Chamba by law is a narcotic that government banned is not allowed to sold in many countries because of its potency to cause brain confusion.
As if that is not enough even if the first President of Malawi Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda banned the production of Kachasu, a locally distilled liquor, the dawn of multi party politics has seen the rise in illicit beer producers and the liquor is now all over even in City Centre.
Our visit to Lilongwe Old Town exposed about forty illicit beer selling points with most patrons being the youth.
With the way the product is priced it is easy for many to access it as one can buy it with as little as K200.
A young man based in Falls Estate who only mentioned his name as Bright said he takes kachasu because he has nothing to do during his free time.
“What do you think I should be doing during my free time? I just go to chill with my friends near a chikhuthe close to our homes. Kachasu is very cheap and we can afford to get drunk even with K2000,” he explained.
But the problem of Kachasu or illicit beer drinking is not only with the youth because even some old or middle-aged men have jumped the bandwagon and the results have proved to be dire in many families.
“Yes I drink Kachasu because the economy is not in good shape so for me to support my family as well as conquer my urge to get sozzled I take ‘Jada’,” a Kauma based man who refused to identify himself narrated.
But what are the consequences of the proliferation of these dangerous substances?
In some areas reports have been brought forward of people dying for taking too much kachasu without eating.
Just recently in area 24 a young man died allegedly of the same problem of drinking too much kachasu without taking a proper meal.
Nelson Zakeyu, Executive Director of Drug Fight Malawi is on record to have said that drug and substance abuse is the biggest causative agent of social unrests and family squabbles.
“If someone is drunk he does not think properly and it leads to abuses. Children lose direction because of drugs and some have died because of overdoses,”
Maybe this is a very lucrative business hence we see liquor shops coming up almost at every corner of our roads in Malawi.
It is high time government does something about this before we lose half of our next generation.
