By Buziwe Nocuze
Khayelitsha locals kicked off the New Year nursing head-splitting hangovers – not just from partying but also from bootleg booze, as police nabbed two suspects for illegal alcohol sales.
City of Cape Town law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said officers were patrolling in Harare, Khayelitsha, when they spotted a silver Suzuki with two occupants on Oscar Mpetha Road, in Kuyasa.
“The vehicle seemed heavily loaded but had only two occupants which seemed odd and raised the suspicion of the officers. Whey then pulled the car over, they found 25-litre canisters containing what they thought were chemicals,” said Dyason.
The driver claimed the containers were filled with water, but the cops weren’t buying it.
The officers then took the vehicle to Harare Police Station and accompanied the two suspects to their place of residence.
When they entered the property, the were shocked to discover a full-blown bootleg booze factory.
They discovered hundreds of empty bottles of Old Buck and Gordon’s gin, Jameson whiskey and Smirnoff vodka. On further inspection, they found labels for the same liquor brands, entire boxes full of sealed gin bottle caps, branded cardboard boxes for liquor and R2,750 in cash.
The suspects were arrested on the spot and later charged under the Liquor Act.
However, with many Khayelitsha residents reporting terrible hangovers over the last week, it appears that the suspects made a healthy buck selling their booze for New Year’s Eve parties.
Ziyanda Mxengwana, a 35-year-old gin drinker, never experienced problems until recently.
“I was asking myself what had changed because I have been drinking gin for a very long time but recently I began experiencing terrible hangovers and would be so drunk that I would even fear my shoes,” said Mxengwana.
She couldn’t eat after drinking what she thought was Gordon’s gin, a popular brand of the spirit.
“I think it is time to stop supporting people selling alcohol in our townships because they care more about making money than our health; they are killing us,” said Mxengwana.
Another resident said she struggled even to lift a glass of water after drinking the potent concoction.
“I suspected that we were not drinking the same alcohol anymore. After drinking their fake alcohol, we feel sick and cannot go out for a long time, so people fail to go to work,” the resident said.
Community members want the police to visit all the taverns in the townships to check if they are selling genuine alcohol.
“We need to work with SAPS on this before we are killed by fake alcohol. We don’t know what they are putting in when they make this stuff but it is not good for our bodies, and we must boycott their places.”
Pictured above: Two suspects were detained at Harare Police Station and charged with manufacturing, bottling and dealing in alcohol without a liquor licence.
Image Credit: Supplied
