“Twumbwa” trade uncovered: police urge public to whistle blow on fake alcohol syndicates

By Itai Mazire and Nigel Pfunde

A tightly-knit syndicate comprising rogue police officers and illicit beer sellers dubbed “Twumbwa” is under scrutiny with allegations that the two parties are working in cahoots.

Hurumende News can exclusively reveal that police units are allegedly turning a blind eye and getting kickbacks to allow the sale of beer in various areas of the city centre.

A week-long investigation by Hurumende News observed that “twumbwa” are being sold at bus termini, liquor shops, boutiques, downtown tuckshops and along streets and avenues in the capital city.

During the investigation, we observed that several police bases dotted around the city centre are near these places of sale.

Undercover investigations established that the ‘epicentres’ of this rot are Roadport bus terminus, shop operators operating along the street are illegally selling illicit brews under the guise of operating agent-registered shops for a big telecoms company (name withheld).

The other hotspot is located along George Silundika and Sam Nujoma Avenue, where purported recharge card (airtime) vendors trade the illicit brews, which come in a wide variety.

Copacabana is the chief oasis of the trade in illicit beer trade. Here, kombi operators, fruit vendors, forex dealers, and touts are used as pawns by a well-orchestrated syndicate led by ‘chefs’ who also work with rogue Zimra officials.

The White House, located at the corner of Cameroon and Chinhoyi streets, is also another hub popularly known as ‘pabase’ in street lingua, and uniformed police have been spotted utilising that facility.

“A stitch in time saves nine. We are worried. I run a boutique underneath Whitehouse, and cases of shoplifting have been on the rise since these people need to fund their habits.

“We are actually drafting a petition to the police for intervention and once we have a sizeable number of signatories, we will present it to the powers that be,” said a shop owner in the vicinity of the ‘house of horror’.

Downtown tuckshops are the sole epicentre suppliers of illicit beers. Thorough investigations revealed that foreign nationals are behind the distribution of “twumbwa” countrywide.

Peddlers of the illicit beers are drawn to Harare downtown to move their contraband around the country.

National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the long arm of the law will soon bring these culprits to book.

He said rogue officers behind this ring will be nabbed.

“We are appealing to members of the public to share information on such suspected illegal activities,” said Commissioner Nyathi.

The Retailers Association of Zimbabwe president, Denford Mutashu, applauded the government intervention and also opened a can of worms on the manufacturing of counterfeit premium brands in a revelation that implies that the rot is permeating all social strata.

“As CZR, we call upon the authorities to urgently extend the current crackdown to include counterfeit alcoholic beverages, which have become alarmingly widespread across the country. We are particularly concerned about the increasing availability of fake premium brands such as Blue Label, Black Label, Glenfiddich and others, which are being distributed to unsuspecting consumers, especially in urban and peri-urban outlets.

“These illicit products are often manufactured in unregulated environments, with no adherence to safety, hygiene or quality standards and thus expose consumers to serious health risks, including poisoning.

“We further urge authorities to go beyond retailers and wholesalers and intensify investigations into the source of these counterfeit products, including manufacturers, backyard operations, import syndicates and suppliers who are deliberately flooding the market with fake goods for profiteering at the expense of consumers,” fumed Mutashu.