SESHEGO – NOCTURNAL celebrations and alcohol trading that last until midnight should be avoided at all cost, according to the Seshego police.
Seshego police spokesperson, WO Mothemane Malefo, said late night drinking was one of the major contributors towards fatalities. According to several police officials in Seshego, there had been a myriad of incidents including violent attacks, armed robberies, murders, rapes and cars accidents lately, which had occurred after midnight.
‘Late night drinking was one of the major contributors towards fatalities’
Business and house burglaries also occurred during this time of the night as some home owners had left their houses unmonitored while they drank the night away, they said.
Malefo attributed the increase in alcohol-related crimes in and around the taverns late at night in many communities to the proliferation of drinking places.
“Most of the alcohol-related crime cases we deal with occur on weekend nights. When all the drinking joints in a given area close at the same time, and large numbers of patrons exit simultaneously, crowds linger on the sidewalks and incidents of armed robbery and general unruliness often proliferate. Because of the darkness due to the lack of streetlights in neighbouring villages outside Seshego, muggers tend to take advantage of the situation,” Malefo said.
“We are also concerned about motorists who intentionally drink until the early hours of the morning and still insist on driving long distances to their respective homes. Even if we have a successful track record of arresting drunk drivers, this problem continues unabated. We are sending a stern message to those who drink and drive, that the long arm of the law will deal with them harshly.”
Late night drunken, violent behaviour is not only happening on the streets as revelers retire to their homes, according to some merrymakers in the area. Self-confessed late night reveler, Lesiba Ramoroka from Seshego zone 1, criticised tavern owners for employing aggressive bouncers who tormented patrons. “Some security personnel see themselves as enforcers, rather than as protectors of the customers’ safety. The more aggressively the security personnel handle patrons, the more aggressively patrons respond. Many security employees and bouncers lack the skills to defuse violence at taverns. The presence of large, muscular men dressed in black, which is not uncommon, encourages confrontations with patrons. Bouncers’ very presence may subconsciously signal to some patrons that physical confrontation is an acceptable way to resolve disputes at various watering holes. Bouncers are implicated (whether justifiably so or not) in a significant proportion of assaults,” Ramoroka opined.
