Paida Mukono
CHIREDZI – The Chiredzi Town Council is planning to lease Chigarapasi beer hall, a move which has divided opinion within the local authority as others stand opposed to the idea on the grounds that they consider the beer hall one of the most significant revenue earner for the town council.
Samuel Mashonganyika, the town council’s financial committee chairperson and ward 7 councillor, confirmed the move during a recent full council meeting saying running the beer hall was no longer sustainable.
Chigarapasi is one of the biggest council beer halls in the country but is understood to be making vast losses and authorities are now eager to dispose of its interests in the business.
“We are making losses so we feel we should put the bar on rental rather than for us to keep operating it. We would be wasting money.
“Some council beer halls are now crèches and some are lying idle. For long, we have been putting money into the beer hall but at the end, we fail to pay the staff,” said Mashonganyika.
Chigarapasi operates 24 hours a day and is an entertainment hub for low income earners in Chiredzi; where many workers of the town’s sugar plantations converge for drinks.
Another ward councillor, Blessings Mazinyane was however not pleased by the new plans saying council should look for creative ways of sustaining the beer hall without disposing it.
“It is better for us to take a closer look and find where we are losing control resulting in the losses. Let’s try by all means to see how we can improve our management for we are the leaders of the day and make sure we put an extra effort to make the business viable,” said Mazinyani.
“So many activities are done at the place and people are making a living out of it. It’s better we try and manage the finances better,” he added.news
