The cholera epidemic in Angola has reached close to 1,900 deaths with over 46,000 reported cases the World Health Organisation (WHO) said this week.
Since the outbreak in February to 19 June this year, "46,758 cumulative cases
and 1,893 deaths in total were reported in 14 out of the 18 provinces" in Angola, a WHO press release said. The highest toll since February was recorded in the coastal province of Benguela with 504 deaths, followed by 291 fatalities in Luanda and 225 in the eastern Luanda Norte region. Angola’s current epidemic is one of Africa’s worst. The deadly but easily treatable water-borne disease broke out in Luanda’s northern slum of Boa Vista and rapidly spread throughout the seaside capital and to other parts of the country. Poor sanitation, an acute lack of drinking water and inadequate infrastructure has worsened the situation.

The National Assembly has referred the petition of the shebeen owners, which was handed over to the Speaker Theo-Ben Gurirab earlier, to a standing parliamentary committee this week. SWAPO Member of Parliament Hans Boois tabled a motion to that effect in the House. This move dashed hopes of shebeen owners camping on the pavement in front of the Tintenpalast of getting a positive respond to their petition, in which they demand that their illegal shebeens, which were recently closed by the police, to be reopened with immediate effect.

During its by-weekly meeting on Tuesday, Cabinet resolved to "reaffirm its position that trading in liquor must be controlled in accordance with the Liquor Act of 1998".

The government was "hard at work to find the most appropriate ways" within the confinement of the law to enable the smooth implementation of the said Act, the Cabinet press release stated this week. "Shebeen owners will be informed through their leaders once all modalities were worked out and public announcements would be made, the statement said. Cabinet encouraged informal traders to "diversify their activities and not to concentrate only on liquor". Prime Minister Nahas Angula said the shebeen problem could be solved within "three weeks".

Meanwhile DTA vice-president Philemon Moongo tabled a motion in parliament to amend the liquor law. The Act of 1998 was gave shebeen owners a grace period of several years to comply and came into effect early this year.