In an interview with City Press on 5 April, Police Minister Bheki Cele said that he wishes the alcohol ban could be extended beyond the 21-day lockdown.
In a statement released on 5 April, Cele welcomed the general decrease in serious and violent crimes during the lockdown. He attributed this to a number of factors including the prohibition of the sale and movement of liquor since the Covid-19 nationwide lockdown.
In the interview, he said, “It is a known thing that alcohol is part of the crime generators … [When it comes to] most people who are murdered or sexually abused, it usually starts on Thursday until the end of the weekend [and] those people will be found at alcohol outlets.”
He added that he believes that minimising the use of alcohol was a step in the right direction for South Africa.