Three shebeen operators were arrested after failing to produce liquor licences following a swoop by police on their illegal outlets, in Reiger Park.
However, the three were subsequently released after two of them paid R600 each, with the third one paying R1 000 as admission of guilty.
Eighteen cases of beer, 10 six packs of cider, bottles of vodka and several bottles of wine were confiscated during the raid.
The alcohol will be destroyed soon.
Some residents argue that this strategy has proved ineffective to discourage people from running illegal shebeens.
To support their point of view, they say, people get arrested and their alcohol seized for not having a licence, but after their release, they restock and continued to sell.
According to the police, residents were unhappy about the operators’ arrests and the confiscation of the alcohol.
They were said to have expressed their disapproval of the police actions by shouting and yelling insults at officers.
According to Reiger Park SAPS spokesman, Sgt Mashudu Phathela, police frequently receive complaints from residents about noisy all-night taverns in their area, but when they close them down, the same residents become angry at the police.
“What is it that they want us to do,” asks Phathela.
