Keep the ban, Cyril

What is it that upsets South Africans the most during lockdown? Covid-19? Yes, to a greater or lesser degree the threat of death through the dreaded bug is a worry. But if media headlines and my research are anything to go by, the absence of liquor causes a collective outcry.

After the president’s Covid-19 television appearances, what is the most talked-about aspect of the speech in the studio by political commentators? And what headline dominates the newspapers the next day? The total number of deaths or those affected? The shortage of beds and ventilators? Curfew? No. The alcohol ban.

You can hear the screams of outrage in the homes, on the streets, in the offices and factories. “The president needs his head read.” “Cyril is again under the petticoat of NDZ.” Editorials, too, slam the government for its ineptitude and insensitivity towards the citizenry. Does it not realise that alcohol is part of the South African DNA and without it makes for an unhappy and disgruntled society.

My research took me to the streets where I spoke to a cross-section of society. My question. “What annoys you most about lockdown and the president’s speech?” Out of eight approached, seven chorused: No alcohol. One muttered about sporting events without spectators. Conclusion? We are a nation of drunks. Finish and klaar.

Now, the big question arises: Why has it come to this? Why have so many taken to the bottle? Why can’t we do without it – even for a relatively short time? Almost everyone I questioned (of all hues) came up with the same answer. And it came as no surprise – to my pea brain, that is. And the irony isn’t lost. All respondents had one word answers: “ANC”, “government”, “Zuma”, “Guptas”, “Ace”.

South Africans have found an escape from the harsh reality of a government and its lackies that together have plunged our country into the mire. If my research is correct, the ANC, by banning alcohol, is allowing South Africans to sober up and face reality. A sober nation is not what it wants. A sober nation will vote it out. So keep the ban, Cyril.

Cliff Buchler.

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