The Sunday Mail
As the war between the Zimbabwe Republic Police and dancers rages on in the capital — disrupting many a reveller’s night of fun — The Sunday Mail Leisure sought to find out what club owners and patrons say about strip-tease shows and nudity.
A frequent patron of strip shows in Harare, one Chamunorwa, said he saw no harm in letting the “girls” go about their trade as long as there were no underage participants.
“This is the entertainment of these days, dance groups of yesteryear and their dances are now outdated — we have new things now,” he said.
“Clubs that do not have dancers that strip are actually in trouble, which is why most of them are closing shop. This is survival for both the dancers and the club owners.”
A club owner who declined to be named said it was important that police familiarise themselves with the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act to ensure they do not arrest anyone wrongly.
The club owner said many of his colleagues were operating within the law’s confines but were always “harrassed” by the police.
He added that the law itself was quite acceptable but was sometimes interpreted wrongly.
“There is a high demand for strippers in (Harare). Our customers demand this kind of entertainment and we give it to them.
“It’s just that some people end up taking advantage and they tend to overdo it like what happened at Club Red 32 but it (the law) is quite acceptable.”
On the issue of underage patrons, he said it was difficult to enforce the law barring people below 18-years-old from entering bars and clubs.
“Over 90 percent of Zimbabweans do not carry their identification cards, but we do try our best.
“Our bouncers always try to identify people that look young but like I said, it is difficult.”