A BILL is due before Zimbabwe’s parliament which will compel bar staff to serve a maximum of four beers to men, and just three beers to women.
The proposed National Alcohol Policy which is championed by former Health Minister Timothy Stamps, now a government adviser, does not discriminate between drivers and pedestrians.
People found with alcohol content above the limit of 0,08 percent of their blood face ARREST.
Critics of the Bill say it should not pass with its current proposals.
The Bill will also contain proposals for a booze curfew which will force supermarkets and shops to stop selling alcohol by 7PM during the week, and by midday on Sundays.
The government also wants all imported alcoholic drinks to carry a warning about the dangers of drink driving.
Shops will be forced not to sell alcohol to pregnant women and people who appear to be already drunk under the measures which the government says are aimed at stopping the “alcohol abuse” and are in the interests of public health.
Further proposals include banning alcohol advertising at football grounds or during televised matches. The move will dismay Premier Soccer League clubs who have just signed a major sponsorship deal with Delta Beverages through its Castle Lager brand.
Stamps insists the measures are a proportionate response to “abuse of alcohol”.
"It has become a health challenge calling for alcoholic drinks to be taken in safe and pure conditions. The policy will identify and control the harm associated with alcohol abuse,” Stamps said.
“It will protect vulnerable people such as children, passengers and those who react badly to alcoholic beverages.”
The former minister, who advises President Robert Mugabe on health issues, said drink driving accounts for 50 percent of all accidents in the SADC region and alcohol abuse was almost always a factor in domestic violence and child neglect cases.
He added: “This policy is the right pathway to maintaining good health. These measures are beneficial to all citizens of Zimbabwe and protect against abuse of alcohol.
"It's not fair for our children to be at risk from irresponsible drinking.
"Besides the health ministry, which has got to bear the burden of treating alcohol-related diseases and the costs of looking after the injured, other ministries including Labour and Social Service, Home Affairs, Local Government, Justice and Legal Affairs must have an input in implementing the policy.
"The finance ministry should also benefit from the sale of alcohol but at the moment people just sell their beer without contributing to the fiscus. There is lot money being made from illegal sales of alcohol.
"It is in the interest of the ministry to control the illegal sales because no tax payments are being made at the moment."
Opponents of the proposals say they will criminalise almost half of Zimbabwe's adult population, spur the growth of shebeens and the law would be hard to enforce.