Bars and Night Clubs Owners Association of Zambia says it is disappointed with President Edgar Lungu’s announcement that Bars and Night Clubs will remain closed.
Association General Secretary Edmond Lifwekelo told Money FM News in interview that this is not what the Association expected as they thought that the President was going to make reference to the resolutions and proposals made during the consultative meeting held with government on 27th of May, 2020.
Mr. Lifwekelo said for bars and night clubs to continue being shut without any sort of relief or package is quite unsatisfactory because the business owners are suffering.
“We are quite very disappointed as bars and night club owners association because this is not what we expected. We thought that the President was going to make reference to what was agreed in the consultative meeting on 27th of May.”
“For us to continue being shut without any sort of relief or package is quite very disappointing and our members are very disappointed,” Mr. Lifwekelo said.
Mr. Lifwekelo argued that Government’s decision not to open the Bars and Night Clubs has nothing to do with the larger community getting infected with Covid-19, but that it has everything to do with the livelihood of people who depend on this industry for their survival.
“Government is getting it quite very wrong, this has nothing to do with drunkenness, this has nothing to do with the larger community getting infected with Covid-19, it has everything to do with the livelihood of people who depend on this industry for their survival, people like the bar owners, night club owners, bar workers, door bouncers and DJs, these are the people we are talking about.”
“Let us not downplay this issue. It is disappointing to see government taking a casual approach on this matter,” he stated.
Furthermore, Mr. Lifwekelo disclosed that the Association has written to the Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja on the Association’s intention we to hold a peaceful protest next as a way of petitioning President Edgar Lungu over the matter.
He urged all members who have resumed operations to continue operating.
“It is in this vain that we convened an urgent meeting as an Association and we have written a letter to the Inspector General of Police, we have informed him of our intention to hold a peaceful protest next week at a date to be given.”
“This has nothing to do with politics, our members are hungry and a hungry person is an angry person. In these protests what we want to achieve is to present a petition to the Head of State maybe he doesn’t fully understand our plight, maybe the messages we have been communicating to him through his Ministers haven’t reached him yet. We have made an appeal to those bars which have opened that they should just continue,” he stated.
In his national address yesterday, President Edgar Lungu announced that Bars, Night Clubs, Schools and other businesses that are still closed will reopen after the cold season.
President Lungu said this is because Covid-19 cases are likely to flare up during the cold period, hence the need to stem the further spread of the disease as the pandemic is real and remains a deadly disease.