Hundreds of thousands of litres of alcohol destroyed
The liquor was confiscated by police during various operations to clamp down on the illicit liquor trade in the district.
VEREENIGING – The Sedibeng District Deputy Commissioner of Police, brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu, led a liquor destruction operation at the Leeuwkuil Waste Water Treatment Works in Vereeniging recently, where hundreds of thousands of litres of liquor were disposed of.
The operation was attended by Sedibeng SAPS management, police officers, various law enforcement agencies, members of the Gauteng Liquor Board (GLB), officials from various government departments, and community leaders.
The liquor was confiscated by police during various operations to clamp down on the illicit liquor trade in the district. The liquor includes various ciders, beers, and spirits.
In his address, the director of compliance and enforcement at the GLB, Mbongeni Shabangu, urged the police to be stricter when dealing with people involved in the illicit trade of alcohol. He said police should not only issue fines to people operating outside the guidelines that govern the liquor trade.
“You have the right to contact the liquor board so that those licenses can get revoked.”
Shabangu said more workshops will be offered to traders as well as police so that they are made familiar with all the laws.
During his keynote address, Nkhwashu highlighted that many crimes in various communities in the district are related to alcohol. He also highlighted that crime in the district declined significantly during Covid-19 when liquor sales were prohibited.
“Trauma cases and contact crimes including assault, rape, and murder are escalated in our communities as a result of liquor abuse. This calls for a serious intervention from all stakeholders involved.”
Nkhwashu called for a national intervention focusing on monitoring, rezoning, taxation, and more laws.
“Easy access to alcohol fuels violent and reckless behavior. This is a problem that we as law enforcement are faced with.”
Nkhwashu said that communities were perishing as a result of excessive alcohol abuse. He called for stricter rules to govern liquor sales, stating that the easy access to alcohol in communities is alarming.
