Zimbabwe clamps down on 'backyard brewers' as fake booze booms

A person holds out a bottle at an informal brewing facility that makes fake whisky, brandy, vodka and other spirits, in Harare, Zimbabwe March 23, 2023 REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

HARARE (Reuters) - Inside a grimy, poorly lit room in Mbare, one of Zimbabwe's most populous townships, a 45-year-old man sits on a makeshift stool as he pours a brownish liquid into small bottles.

An alcoholic stench fills the room.