Shebeens take a new face

partying

SHEBEENS are now being operated in the upmarket plush suburbs of Harare, where they are being run under the guise of house parties.

In the past, shebeens were mostly confined to high-density and on a low scale in middle-density suburbs but now they have mushroomed in the heart of several opulent and leafy suburbs.

These "house parties" are being held at a number of residences in the low-density suburbs, which the owners have converted into venues for such events, but without council licences or liquor licences, hence they are nothing but very fancy shebeens.

Residences where some of the parties have been held so far include the famous Boathouse in Highlands at 1 Grosvenor Road, whose shape is like that of a boat, at Number 4 Drew Road in Chisipite, and "Miami" situated at Number 12 Grant Road in Vainona.

Harare City Council spokesperson Leslie Gwindi said house parties disguised as shebeens are illegal according to council by-laws.

"Shebeens, including the so-called house parties, are illegal according to the city’s by-laws. One thing you need to look at is the licencing factor and none of the shebeens have liquor licences or certificates from the council. However, the same applies to those who host house parties. Once we get hold of them, we simply arrest or fine the offenders," he said.

The people who run these house parties are not stopping at anything despite the fact that they are illegal.

The gatherings are either labelled "beach" or "poolside" parties, and more often that not the activities that happen there are not clandestine, as people who would be hosting these parties, place adverts in newspapers announcing the gigs.

There is an admission fee that one has to pay in order to be part of the binge and beverages will be on sale. However, the parties often end well after midnight or in the early hours of the next day. Add to this, one has to have loads of cash to spare and also adhere to a very strict dress code, which in most cases is formal.

A recent "Million Dollar Party" advert that appeared in The Herald read: "Dress to impress, best male and female will win US$100. (There is a) celebrity guest surprise.

"Tickets available, US$10 in advance, US$20 at the gate."

A leading DJ who declined to be named dismissed claims that the events were house parties, saying the people involved were running shebeens under the guise of house parties.

"House parties are for people who don’t want to go out to clubs and who are tired of the club scenario. These are the people who prefer to hang out at home with friends and a few other invited people.

"The parties are usually for people who know each other and a close friend offers his or her house as the venue.

"We recently hosted one such party for our friends who were on a visit from the Diaspora," the DJ said.

He said the idea of house parties evolved out of realisation that there was growing market of people who preferred partying in a homely environment devoid of the atmosphere normally found at pubs.

"There has been a huge market of people who prefer partying at home without the restrictions and violence often found at clubs.

"The houses that people use are owned by their close friends, and, as in the case of the Boathouse, it is owned by a very close friend of mine," said the DJ.

He added that people attending the party would donate the drinks and food for the party.

"People make contributions, others bring crates of drinks while others bring food," he said.

Dee Nosh — another DJ who plays at Stars Nightclub — confirmed that although house parties were illegal, they were the in-thing and big time "money spinners".

"Of late, house parties have gone a step further than traditional shebeens. Revellers are charged entry fees and DJs make money from the bar as well as the gate.

"In a way, DJs get to benefit from the gate as well as the bar where club owners make most of their earnings. Be that as it may, house parties or shebeens are illegal. This is why they don’t go beyond midnight," Dee Nosh said.

The owner of the house at 4 Drew Road in Chisipite, only identified as Nash, was evasive, saying their last house party was held on New Year’s Eve.

"Well, we are no longer going to have these house parties for this year and our last party was held on New Year’s Eve," he said before he hung up the phone.

It is at this house where Big Brother Africa’s contestant Kristal Culverwell’s eviction party was held. Our reporters were invited and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The place was packed with the Who’s Who of Harare, who seemed eager to show off the bling bling they had, ranging from sleek cars to well adorned beautiful women.

While fun-loving people might find the idea of house parties as a novel way of merry-making, neighbours of those hosting the parties are a lot less pleased at having a shebeen, even a high-class one, next door.

Others said such parties promoted immorality since they served a similar purpose to that of lodges or guesthouses.

Some people, however, observed that the idea was a strategy to attract tourists during the World Cup soccer extravaganza in that they will provide a different form of entertainment.

Whatever explanations might be given, it is, however, quite clear that the idea was borrowed from South African stokvels, which started off as societies meant to raise money aimed at assisting members during funerals. The name was derived from the word stockings, referring to the money that they would save.

But this later on evolved into a more social society characterised by beer drinking and fun. In Zimbabwe, this is what is known as shebeens, which are popular in Bulawayo and Harare.

According to the official website of the City of Johannesburg, shebeens (stokvels) "attracted thousands of workers who wanted entertainment and relaxation after a hard week’s work.

"People were turning to shebeens for companionship and comfort.

"Women started organising the shebeens on a stokvel basis — every week the woman who got the stokvel pool organised a huge party. Members and guests would pay an entrance fee and buy food and drinks inside," the website said.

Author Peter Abrahams, famous for his novel Mine Boy, said: "The stokvel was ‘the trade union of the women who dealt in illicit liquor . . . Often a well-known ‘skokiaan’ queen was sent to prison without the option of a fine. In such cases the stokvel helped with the home and children till the member came out of jail. And, of course, there was music — much, much music," he said.