Police threaten crackdown on pole dancers

HARARE – Police in Harare are threatening a crackdown on delinquent dancers and club-owners who promote “moral decadence”.

This follows the arrest of Shantel Chirimuta, a Chocolate Barbes dancing crew member who allegedly became intimate with a patron on stage.

At a meeting on Friday with the dance sector’s stakeholders, police stressed the importance of maintaining morality in the clubs.

The meeting, which was closed to the media, was reportedly attended by several Harare club owners including Joy Centre, Club Red 32, Devine Assignments, Destiny, Players, Kule’s Bar, Jongwe Corner and DZ Sports Bar among others.

“It is a serious offence to hire unregistered dancers to perform at your joint, Dancers Association of Zimbabwe (Daz) and club owners mava kurasika (you are getting lost), you are failing to realise that we all have an obligation to keep our culture unpolluted,” said one police officer only identified as Garavaza.

“As police, we are now intensifying our operations in entertainment clubs to ensure that morality is restored.”

It has been established that Chirimuta was not a registered dancer.

Both Daz and the Censorship Board said she was not one of their members.

Chirimuta is being tried at Mbare Magistrates’ Courts for the alleged violation of Censorship and Entertainment Control Act which does not allow dancers to come into close contact with revellers while on stage.

In her defence, the raunchy dancer has said she could not do without sex, hence her behaviour on stage.

The police also attacked some club owners in the capital for barring officers from entering their venues.

“If you keep on denying us access into the venues, we do not have problems with that but you will be surprised to find us inside without your approval,” he said.

Earlier on, Harpers Mapimhidze of Daz, told the Daily News that his organisation was striving to restore order in the industry.

“We are striving to fully professionalise the dance industry and the only way we can achieve that is through instilling discipline among the players,” he said.

Chirimuta is not the first female dancer to cross the paths with law enforcers. Raunchy dancer Beverly Sibanda and her close ally Zoey Sifelani have also been hauled before the courts for public indecency. Daily News