Police to destroy millions of litres of alcohol

Tshwane District SAPS officers led by their commissioner Major-General Samuel Thine will be destroying over 11 million millilitres of confiscated alcohol until November 11.

The liquor comes from raids on illicit shebeens and liquor outlets not compliant with the Liquor Act among other.

Thine kicked off the liquor disposal on Wednesday at the Daspoort Wastewater Treatment Works.

Tshwane SAPS are disposing of confiscated alcohol through several remaining operations to be carried out until November 11. Three to four stations at a time from across the metro will bring their collection of confiscated liquor to destroy at the treatment works on different dates.

In his address, Thine stated that the SAPS had successfully shut down several illegal liquor establishments across the district and fined the owners.

“Starting today, we will be disposing of 11 429 093 millilitres of various brands of liquor to clear our stores to create space,” Thine said.
“I want to send a clear message to all: Tshwane police will show no leniency towards criminal activity during the festive season. Liquor outlets must comply with the Liquor Act and prioritise the safety of their patrons. The responsible use of alcohol is essential, and we remind drivers not to drive under the influence. There will be no excuses. Zero tolerance for drunk driving will be enforced,” he said.

He advised liquor store owners to catch up on the rules and regulations regarding owning a liquor outlet or face harsh consequences.

“If you run a liquor outlet, make sure that it is a licensed liquor outlet. Those who have licences must be responsible in terms of its conditions such as closing times, and taking care of the stock.

“We want to encourage them to work together with the Liquor Board to ensure that their establishments are secured. There must be no fights, no shootings or any other illegal activities taking place,” Thine said.

According to Thine, the most common problems the police encounter are outlets that do not adhere to the conditions of their licence. These are outlets that operate outside permitted time or sell to minors.

“We’ve seen it around the Jukulyn area when we’ve operated there provincially as well as the district.

“There was a place we closed down that was selling to minors and we arrested the owner,” he said.

“Another problem is the firearms that we find in these illegal outlets. In Mamelodi, one of the outlets there, we discovered firearms.

They are also not appointing managers even though they have to, some of the licences are shebeen permits meaning that the owner must be on the premises when it’s opened and when the person is out, doing whatever, it must be closed,” Thine said.

So far police recovered three firearms at liquor outlets during recent operations, one in Mamelodi and two in Jukulyn. In Jukulyn, Thine said a wanted suspect was also apprehended.

“Liquor outlets are also reminded to ensure that their premises are secure and that they work in accordance with the law.

Security guards/bouncers must be accredited when hired and residents are encouraged to be weary of makeshift liquors that can compromise their health.”

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram