THE CASH-GATE EFFECT: Patronage to bars and clubs drops in Lilongwe

It has always been acknowledged that when it comes to having fun, Lilongwe leads the nation in that sector with Lilongwe imbibers having the reputation of buying their beer in crates.

It has always been joked that if you paid a visit to Lilongwe you will be welcomed with crates of beer and long nights of massive expenditures at drinking joints.

It may be too late to disprove as the honeymoon is over. The famous cash-gate has sucked off the colossal overheads on beer and turn-up for fun at the popular drinking joints in Lilongwe, Chill can reveal.

Chill spent the two last weekends in the city monitoring some of the popular drinking points to appreciate the turn-out for both drinking and fun, and it was obvious—fun and patronage at drinking places is not the same. We visited Machansi, Biwi, Falls Estate and Bwandiro which are the main drinking places for most people in the Capital City on Friday and Saturday where the patronage was not as notable as before.

Bottle store and club owners also admitted a slump in turn up at their premises since the cash-gate was exposed.

In interviews with some of the club owners the overriding sentiment was that most beer dealers will quit the business if the situation does not improve.

“Tell me which bar or club has invited artists to perform at their venues since the cash-gate? No-one. We invite artists on a fee banking on recovering the money through beer sales. I attended the Chill DJs show at Chez Ntemba and the audience was not the same as we used to have in the past.

“I agree that there are several issues contributing to this, but it is a fact that cash flow has slowed and people have adjusted their expenditures accordingly,” said an owner of one of the clubs in the city who refused to be identified.

Another bottle store owner at Falls Estate revealed that they used to sell about 16 crates of beer during the weekend, but now sell less than 10. He also revealed that he used to sell at least six roasted chickens, but they now can hardly sell three on a good day.

DJ Patt, who performs at several clubs in the city but is currently based at Blue Vegas, also admitted a slump in attendance.

“I agree with your observation. October has exposed the worst patronage at the drinking places. You could not tell that it was end of the month a fortnight ago. I am not saying beer sales have completely gone down, but there is an observable decline in the number of patrons and amount of beer being bought compared to previous months. I believe there is direct link to the cash-gate because cash expenditure for fun has slightly declined,” said the DJ.

On weekends, Mbowe Filling Station close to Crossroads Hotel is usually the hub for imbibers who enjoy their cold ones on open grounds during the afternoon. Usually, one finds cars parked at the station with sound systems turned to full blast and people drinking all sorts of alcoholic beverages. During the spot check, Chill saw a few people at the station with the majority being young people taking common and non-expensive brands of beer.

Chez Ntemba International is one of the main beer dealers in the city.

In an interview, the club’s manager Pasco Kabeya admitted that the turnout at the club has dropped.

“I have observed a reduction in turnout and beer buying in the just-ended month but I cannot directly link it to the cash-gate. We enjoy huge turn outs on Fridays and Saturdays but it was not the same in October and part of November,” he said.

He added that the farming season might have also contributed to this as most people are focusing on buying farm inputs.

“Our customers are a mix of farmers, businesspeople and the working class and so anything that happens to the groups affects our business which is why it is difficult for me to conclude that it is the cash-gate that has affected patronage since last month,” said Kabeya.

One of the supervisors at Manase Kachitseko club also admitted that since the cash-gate came to light, cash flow at bottle stores and clubs has dropped and people are not drinking as much as before.

“Even the beer that is selling more is Carlsberg Chill and other brands. Premium brands such as Heineken and Castle are not selling as fast as before the cash-gate scandal,” he said.

He however, revealed that November and December do not give them good sales because most people concentrate on farming.

Chester Kayange, owner of Chester Field Pub in Area 18, revealed that business has slowed down and they are registering fewer patrons than before.

The cash-gate was exposed in September after the shooting of Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo, who is currently recuperating in South Africa. – (Additional reporting by Christopher Jimu and Dyson Mthawanji).