By ALICE NACHILEMBE
Chingola Municipal Council (CMC) in conjunction with Zambia Police has apprehended 36 women who have allegedly been working as sex workers at three Hotels in Chingola.
CMC and Police swung into action after reports by members of the public that the named hotels have been operating as brothels, housing women from different towns who bring in clients for sexual pleasures.
The sex workers whose customers are mostly truck drivers pay rent to the hotel owners and bring in different men.
Copperbelt Police Acting Commanding Officer Sharon Zulu said the duo swang into action yesterday to control premises believed to be operating as brothels.
“36 ladies and seven men were apprehended for alleged disorderly conduct,” she said.
And Chingola Municipal Council Director of Public Health Fred Nkonde said Public health Inspectors jointly swang into action to establish the truth after some public reports that some individuals are allegedly lodging spaces as brothels.
Mr Nkonde said the way in which these hotels where conducting business is against the law.
He said the Local Authority also conducted an operation to ascertain compliance levels of lodges and Hotels in regards to the Liquor licensing Act and Hotel Management Act.
Mr Nkonde said that some of these lodges had no documentation to support their business operations.
“We found that these premises had a large number of women occupants with most rooms exceeding their maximum capacity which is against Covid-19 health guidelines. Individuals still needs to comply to Covid-19 health guidelines therefore hotel owners have a mandate to restrict the number of people in each room as guided by the law. “The evidence obtained on the suspects is that they had spent most of their days in those premises. We will further such operations and enforcements and go as far as continuing to ensure that there is no underage bar patronage so that law and order is maintained in our district as a whole,” he said.
