A STRONG stench covers a small dingy bar in Epworth as people flock into dance to Sungura music from the Domboramwari-based drinking spot.
Moses Matenga
As a group of journalists walk in from an assignment in the area, they are greeted by suspicious gazes from revellers.
For minutes, the group of journalists wait in the bar, looking around the suspicious imbibers who had stopped dancing.
After feeling out of place and leaving, the visibly drunk young girls, most likely teenagers started shouting “Mhene dzakuenda, mhene dzakuenda” (the rich people are going), seemingly exasperated by the loss of potential revenue.
While walking out, the journalists were greeted by a man with blood gushing out of his forehead after he was attacked by colleagues for misbehaving.
As a friend tried to assist him, he continuously warned him of his “intolerable” antics when drunk. In less than 20 minutes at the Domboramwari shops, a clear description of Epworth was given as: “a theatre of poverty, debauchery and neglect”.
Several cases of rape have been reported in the populous suburb but nothing has been done by the courts as the criminals can easily hide in houses with no addresses, making it difficult for even the long arm of the law to catch up with them.
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“We have cases of girls being raped. We are seriously worried about that. The problem is the courts throw out cases because most of the criminals would not be identified because they are no addresses one can be found,” said Ward 1 councillor Elina Mazhandu.
“Most people who commit crime flee to Epworth because they are no addresses here. We want Epworth to be recognised like all other cities and towns and have town status and addresses so that criminals are found.”
A tour of Epworth shows that, from buildings just after Chadcombe, as one drives to Domboramwari, most structures built there are illegal.
Most of the houses are built from poorly moulded bricks and are prone to fall during heavy rains.
A lot of fights are said to be the order of the day as people fight over different issues. A woman interviewed at an event nearby told a sad tale of a friend who snatched a husband from her and went on to have a wedding, living her devastated.
“I want the world to know what my friend did to me because she took away my husband and they wedded,” she said as she broke down.
“These are the kind of stories you get here in Epworth,” said an elderly woman at the event.
Several interviewed people spoke of the existence of shebeens in the area where teenagers have taken into serious drinking to drown their sorrows while men take turns to sleep with small children for a small fee.
“Even $1 can secure you a sexual encounter with a young girl here,”said another man who gave an unsolicited interview to NewsDay.
Epworth is located about 12 kilometres out of the Harare city centre and is a high density dormitory town administered by the Epworth Local Board.
Popular features in Epworth include balancing rocks that are found on the northern approaches of the town and were featured on the local currency before it went into extinction.
Another common but unpopular feature is the “pool of death” where people who want to commit suicide would just go there. Several cases of suicide have been reported there while cases of people murdered and thrown in there have also featured in the area.
Mazhandu She said there were moves to regularize stands known as Magada.
“We have problems of a political nature. We are all Zanu PF councillors but people want power. People are fighting against development and the issue is politics is affecting development,” she said.
“People cannot even access loans from banks because they say we don’t have addresses and you stay in Epworth. Even women are being raped here. Domestic violence cases are on the rise because of the existence of shebeens.”
