Image via: flickr
Police Minister Bheki Cele has vowed to come down hard on those dealing in alcohol while it is prohibited under Level 3 lockdown.
Image via: flickr
During a ministerial briefing on Tuesday morning 29 December, Police Minister Bheki Cele made it clear that should anyone break lockdown rules regarding alcohol, they would be dealt with. The meeting took place virtually just one day after President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation. There, he announced that the country would move to Level 3 lockdown based on spiralling COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations.
Along with the new alert level, however, came new alcohol restrictions as well as a 21:00 curfew.
Ramaphosa announced the following measures regarding liquor;
We know that the transportation of liquor is off-limits, however, there are a few exceptions. It may be transported;
Cele said liquor should not be moved, not to a neighbour or to a friend. He said wherever one’s alcohol is, it should stay.
“There is no movement of any form of alcohol in your boot, no transportation, no distribution, no taking alcohol from next door to next door so you will only keep your alcohol where it is at the present moment so you don’t take it from section A to section B to go and enjoy, you will drink the alcohol that you find there,” said Cele.
Cele also said those who have liquor licences and who trade illegally will face the full might of the law. He said their licences would be taken away and they would be sent to prison and stand before a magistrate.
“When it comes to beaches, there are many other things that have been mentioned. The rivers, the dams and the lakes I’m sure the police will be reasonable enough to allow people to go fetch water and maybe do the washing but you may not use that to go and create your own picnic along the river,” he said.
“The non-sale of alcohol means the non-sale of alcohol. Don’t put alcohol in your teapots, don’t put alcohol in the bottles that are written zero alcohol, we know your tricks. Don’t invite police to come and check if it is really Rooibos or if it is something else in that teapot. And if we find something else in that teapot, we will make sure that you lose your licence and lose your permit to trade,” he added.