Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) and music vendors in the central business district of Harare made a killing during the festive season as adult content sold like hot buns, 263Chat can reveal.
An interview with scores of vendors revealed that the xrated material, sold illegally on the streets was on high demand as people spend the better part of their time at home due to the festive season.
One vendor who confided in 263Chat said demand for adult movies was high during the Christmas and New Year holidays- boosting their businesses as they kept shuttling between wholesalers and their selling points.
The vendor who refused to be named said the normal trend over the years was that holidays like Easter, Heroes and Christmas provide lucrative business for them as people bought movies and music to watch at home but the sudden demand for porn material during this festive season was shocking as they never saw it coming.
“I do not know what demon had possessed people during Christmas because these porn films were selling like never before” said one of many street vendors with disability.
While some indicated that adult movies sell better than any other content, on any day.
“This is where the money is I get most sells from adult content followed by movie series then music” said Petty who operates along Albion street.
Displaying the compact discs right by street sides while exposing under-aged children to material not suitable for their eyes, these vendors have no vetting schemes to guard against distributing to the under-aged.
The situation could have been worsened by the fact that people with disabilities who form the bulk of DVD vendors are exempt from police raids.
“We should talk of legality of this when the country starts running smoothly” said another disabled vendor who preferred anonymity.
Censorship Board Chairperson, Aeneas Chigwedere said the onus is on the Ministry of Trade and Commerce as the xrated material was being distributed by vendors.
“Vendors are flooded everywhere and it is difficult to pin point who, what and where is illegal content. The Ministry of Industry is the answer to all this,” said Chigwedere.
Does the phrase an ‘idle mind is a devil’s workshop’ explain the rise in the demand for porn content especially during holidays?
