The number of liquor outlets and their continued mushrooming is worrying the Namibian Police Force’s regional commander James Nderura, who said the outlets are the drivers of criminal activities at Opuwo. Nderura in an interview recently said overall, the Kunene Region recorded 5 669 criminal cases between the 2016/17 and 2019/20 financial years. “If you compare the town itself [Opuwo] and count the number of bars and shebeens, you would realise that every second house is a shebeen or bar,” he said, noting that it is difficult to control alcohol abuse “because every second house is a shebeen” and the town’s youth misuse alcohol. Unlike many Namibian towns whose main streets or central business districts are known for vibrant and progressive economic activity, the opposite is true for Opuwo, Nderura further lamented. “Along the main street it’s just shebeens or liquor outlets,” he said, adding that the situation is worsened by the fact that institutions tasked with the issuance of liquor licenses continue granting the green light unabated, despite the situation on the ground painting a bleak picture of the town’s residents. At present, there are 41 licensed liquor establishments along the three main streets of Opuwo, all falling within a three-kilometre radius. A resident interviewed on the status quo rued the reality that confronts them, suggesting that they feel entrapped in the bottle as there are literally no entertainment facilities such as recreational parks or libraries to which they can divert their energy and time. “I’m not justifying the excessive sale of alcohol, it would have been better had the owners been from Kunene because they can re-invest their profits in the region. But these investors simply ship their profits to their places of origin. Opuwo is simply their drunk cash cow,” claimed Kaatutjiua Mbinge, a resident of the town. Mbinge added: “We need dry cleaning services, fast food outlets and other businesses, but all the investors are focusing on bars.” In April, President Hage Geingob complained about the excessive consumption of alcohol in Namibia. “Alcohol has been a problem in this country. We must use this crisis [COVID-19] to address the problem of alcoholism in this country,” he said. -NAMPA