The Brixton Police Station’s new station commander is passionate about student safety and is subsequently cracking down on shebeens in the area.
Colonel Mkhacani Maluleke feels shebeens are unsafe and distracting, not only for students but they’re a haven for drug users and criminals in the area.
He and his officers often visit shebeens in their policing area to make sure they adhere to the Gauteng Liquor Act and that they are free of drugs and any other illegal activity.
Maluleke was on the frontline during the shebeen visits and gave owners long lectures about the establishments they run.
At a shebeen less than 1km from the Brixton Police Station, a man was arrested for being in possession of drugs.
One of the station’s star officers, David Mothabathe, operated the station’s Morpho Touch, a revolutionary fingerprint scanning tool, to see whether or not shebeen owners were involved in previous crimes.
In addition to visiting shebeens, Vrededorp’s illegal beer-brewing and liquor trading scene was all shook up.
A number of two-litre bottles were uncovered, containing a home-brewed beer, which was emptied out by police on Vrededorp’s streets. Police also confiscated alcohol from drunk men drinking in public.
While no person was arrested for liquor-related crimes, a man was detained for interfering with police work. The man became hostile towards police officers when someone was arrested for drug possession in the illegal liquor hotspot.
Maluleke stated that he wants to send a warning to all shebeen owners that the police will be there to check up on them on a regular, random basis.
He feels that while police cannot prevent students from visiting shebeens, police can eliminate criminal activity in shebeens and can weed out those who do not adhere to the Gauteng Liquor Act.
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