Maseru, Sept. 25 — The President of the Liquor and Restaurant Owners Association (lROA) Mr. Motseki Nkieane says while Lesotho has a strong alcoholic drinks market, beer consumption has declined and this can be ascribed to a shift towards more affordable smuggled flavoured beverages.
Mr. Nkieane stated that the smuggled flavoured beverages are cheaper than other alcohol because smugglers want it gone within a short space of time hence ridiculous prices to attract more people.
He said this, tagged along with high rate of unemployment, has resulted in young people becoming heavy drinkers and this is blamed on the country’s social ills, but the reality is that many Basotho enjoy the cheapness of the flavoured beverages.