Cele says there’s something ‘funny’ about thieves who cleared out whiskey stock at bottle store

Police Minister Bheki Cele has said “there is a funny situation” about the bottle store in Cape Town broken into barely a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a ban on the sale of liquor.

The thieves are reported to have cleared out the store’s whiskey stock, following the theft in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

“That one we were there until 4am but that person was able to break off the cameras and he or she had a very good choice of stealing,” Cele said on Wednesday during the justice crime prevention and security (JCPS) cluster media briefing on the enforcement of the regulations of alert Level 3 and adherence to the safety protocols.

Cele further commented that the thieves targeting “expensive stuff”, whiskey and cognac could indicate that whoever is behind the break-in knew “very well” where such stock was kept.

He then said investigations into the theft at the said bottle store continue.

The minister said police do patrol areas where liquor outlets are located, included malls and that they would continue to do so, working closely with private security companies, neighbourhood watch structures and local community policing forums.

Following the theft, Mark Kallend, owner of OK Liquor in Bothasig, said: “They basically emptied the whiskies out.

“They ripped the safety gate off with their vehicle… they tied a rope around it and yanked it off. They then threw a boulder through the window.”

Reading a statement by the JCPS cluster, Cele said: “Alcohol may be consumed in private but it may not be transported, sold or dispensed at any liquor outlet … People are allowed to drink alcohol in private, inside their homes or their yards but not in public spaces, on pavements or in their vehicles.

READ MORE: Thieves hit bottle store and clear out whisky stock

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