Government set to ban ‘VIROBA’ from next month

Consumers of liquor packed in plastic sachet popularly known in Kiswahili as ‘viroba’ have until the end of this month to enjoy their drink as the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, declared on Thursday evening that the government will issue a total ban on the drink beginning March 1, 2017.

“We had a comprehensive and successful meeting with alcohol businesspeople and agreed that they package them in big bottles,’’ he said, adding that currently, liquor stored in papers was everywhere to the extent that school boys and girls were also consumers.

The premier who was addressing a mammoth rally at Mererani in Simanjiro District, Manyara Region, on the second leg of his tour of the area said beginning March 1, 2017, all people who will be found with that alcohol would face the music.

According to him, the ban is yet another milestone on the anti-drugs war, adding that Mererani was leading on the consumption of illicit drugs. “We shall apprehend distributers; consumers and traders because we are well informed that in this town there are marijuana, khat, cocaine and heroin,’’ he noted.

Mr Majaliwa directed the Manyara Regional Commissioner (RC) to launch an operation to crackdown on all drug dealers and users as well as testing of people suspected of consuming drugs.

On investment, Mr Majaliwa said, the government had allocated 500 hectares at Shambarai area for construction of an Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA), as well as putting up other investment infrastructure.

“In this investment area we shall put up industries, shops and malls in the government’s agenda of industrialisation… we need to have meat, textile and Tanzanite minerals processing industries,’’ he said amid cheers from the public.

In another development, Mr Majaliwa has summoned the Directors of Tanzanite One to issue clarification on the complaints levelled by workers against them.

“Upon completion of my tour, I want you to come to my office on February 27 to give me a report on the operations of the company, in a meeting that shall also include the area’s Member of Parliament (MP).