A shebeen queen for life
ALEXANDRA - Meet the township's hardworking shebeen queen who irks out a decent living that provides for her family.
Although Alex resident Thandi Nhlapo is well aware of the pitfalls of running a shebeen, she has vowed never to quit the business because the money is good.
Nhlapo runs the Kaaltopie Shebeen in the heart of old Alex, which is a hive of activity with customers flooding in for bottled beer and the traditional variants of home brew, better known in township lingo as ‘imbamba’ or ‘isqatha’.
Kaaltopie was a nickname given to her mother from whom she inherited the shebeen. Patrons gave her the nickname which is Afrikaans ‘tsotsitaal’ for a bald head.
She cited constant harassment by the police as one of the pitfalls. But what makes matters worse is that police officers soon realise a gold mine in the form of bribes and demand bribes in return for her confiscated stock.
“Each time the cops are broke, they run to raid my shebeen knowing very well they will get ‘cool drink’ money,” she said. “I have become a money-spinning machine for them.”
Kaaltopie – she has also inherited her mother’s nickname – said the police had developed a tendency to raid her ‘spotong’ at a particular time when it was full of customers so they would make even more money through bribes. They demand bribes from her customers too for patronising an illegal beer outlet.
Despite this, Kaaltopie said she would never shy away from the business. “They may raid me, take my stock and harass my patrons but I will never bolt away from running the shebeen.
“The money I make here is good and tax-free money. I do not want to register because I will have to share my money with the taxman, and be subjected to various rules and regulations of when to sell and when not to sell and to whom.
Kaaltopie has vowed to die a shebeen queen. “I used to be a domestic worker in Sandton but the money I make here a day by far surpasses that salary. From profits of the shebeen, I send my children to school. I have managed to educate my daughter from this business and today she is a top paramedic from the shebeen money. I have a decent house with good furniture etc. What more do I want in life,” she asked.
