Alcohol ban results in thieves targeting liquor stores

As the Covid-19 lockdown begins to bite, liquor outlets are seemingly becoming burglary targets as thieves make off with alcohol and cigarettes, the non-essential products banned for 21 days under the Disaster Management Act currently in place.

Police in Tshwane are investigating at least two liquor store break-ins, while in Langa in the Western Cape, two people were arrested following the burglary and looting of a Shoprite liquor store.

In Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, thieves allegedly broke into a Boxer liquor store at the Nkomo Village shopping centre and made off with alcohol and cigarettes on Thursday night.

Kenny Khoza, who lives across the shopping centre, said: “It was the only shop that was broken into, which shows that the scarcity of alcohol and cigarettes has turned these items into gold.”

Khoza said a quart (750ml) of beer could cost up to R50 and a packet of the cheapest brand of illegal cigarette, which sells for just R10, cost up to R30 from smuggling rings.

Atteridgeville police spokesperson Constable Tumisang Moloto confirmed the break-in and that they were investigating the incident.

On the same night, Mamelodi police arrested two suspects after allegedly breaking into a pub in Mamelodi West.

Under the lockdown regulations, there is no sale of alcohol or cigarettes, with Police Minister Bheki Cele urging South Africans to stay sober. He also banned the transportation of alcohol.

The minister has been criticised by Democratic Alliance member of parliament Phumzile van Damme for his “oversimplified crime-fighting strategy” that was “daft” and “embarrassing”.

She also slammed the minister’s stated wish that the alcohol ban could be extended beyond the lockdown period because of the significant drop in the number of violent crimes reported.

Experts have warned that the ban was a bad idea and that the demand invited criminal elements to meet this need.

Atteridgeville, Mamelodi and Soshanguve are among the six townships in Tshwane that have been flagged by government as non-compliant with the lockdown regulations.

The SA Drug Policy Initiative, a group advocating for humane, rational drug laws to reduce drug-related harms and crime, said the temporary ban of alcohol and tobacco sales was discriminatory against the poor, who had no means to stock up.

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