Highly intoxicating Tujilijili resurface

THE banned highly intoxicating illicit alcohol packed in sachets popularly known as Tujilijili have resurfaced on the market and is on high demand, especially in Lusaka’s Misisi Township.
Concerned residents from Misisi have called on Lusaka City Council (LCC) and other law enforcing wings to curb the ever increasing sale of Tujilijili in the area.
Grace Chilangwa of Misisi township said the council needed to move in and carry out an operation because people were being intoxicated as early as 10:00hrs.
She said under-age people were consuming Tujilijili in large quantities because it was cheap.
“Young men have now started abusing the cheap alcohol which is readily available in markets in their respective areas,” she said.

And Jackson Kasonde, a resident of Chibolya township, said it was unfortunate that the illicit beer had resurfaced after Government and the local
authority banned it.
Mr Kasonde called on the council to ensure that people involved in the trade of Tujilijili were brought to book because the beer is a social menace.
“The council should ensure that they persecute the people behind the sale of Tujilijili because that alcohol is too concentrated and people just take them without even diluting,” he said.
LCC Public Relations Manager Habeenzu Mulunda said people with information should come forward to help in tracing the origins of the illicit alcohol.

Mr Habeenzu said LCC was doing everything possible to ensure that all those who were involved in the sale of illicit alcohol were brought to book.
He said there was need for Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to ensure that they put stringent measures on the borders were most of the illicit liquor was being smuggled into the country. Mr Habeenzu said ZRA had the mandate to ensure there is control of the entry of the sachets which were coming from Malawi and other neighbouring countries like Tanzania.
“ZRA should ensure that they put up stringent measures because most people were smuggling the sachets from Malawi,” he said.
He said it was hard for the council to trace the origins because they were only confined in Lusaka and not any other town. Mr Habeenzu said they needed to cooperate with other stakeholders in order to bring sanity in Lusaka especially in places like Chibolya and Misisi townships.

TIMES OF ZAMBIA

Photo-Credit Jorrit Meulenbeek