“The black market is definitely thriving in Stellenbosch.” This was according to Tim Flak, public relations officer at the Stellenbosch Community Policing Forum.
Although the ban on the sale of alcohol continues, the Stellenbosch black market thrives. PHOTO: Rebecca Pitt
“It is not difficult to get a hold of alcohol, it is the same as cigarettes – it is just about price,” Flak said. “I know that at one point [during lockdown], a bottle of brandy was going for R1 000.”
According to captain Nathalie Martin of Stellenbosch SAPS, a number of arrests have been made for the illicit sale of alcohol, since the beginning of the initial lockdown.
Stellenbosch SAPS could not disclose how many arrests have been made.
“Most of the liquor confiscated by SAPS is at various roadblocks, which means that the alcohol is meant for towns in the other Metropoles,” Martin said.
According to Flak, Stellenbosch Policing Forum assists Stellenbosch SAPS with these roadblocks but the regulation of illicit alcohol sale is not something that is specifically targeted.
No surprise
It is expected that if the government bans the sale of alcohol or cigarettes, people are going to buy on the black market, said Anne-Lize de Beer, owner of Col’cacchio in Stellenbosch.
According to De Beer, alcohol sales make up roughly about 10% to 15% of her restaurant’s turnover.
“People are still buying [alcohol] from somewhere. Except now there is no revenue – even for the government there is no revenue because [government] can’t tax the illegal stuff,” De Beer said.
“It is not difficult to get a hold of alcohol, it is the same as cigarettes – it is just about price,” says Tim Flak, public relations officer at Stellenbosch Community Policing Forum. PHOTO: Supplied
The alcohol ban is not sustainable – even in the short term, she said.
At the time of writing, there was increased pressure on the government to relax lockdown regulations to level 2, and to open the selling of liquor again.
The restaurant industry is expecting that the restriction on the sale of alcohol will be lifted by the end of the month, De Beer said.
Selling by the box
According to one source, who wishes to remain anonymous, he was approached by a restaurant manager in Stellenbosch to sell the restaurant’s alcohol stock, during the initial level 5 lockdown.
When the ban on the sale of alcohol was lifted, he stopped selling alcohol but began selling alcohol again when the ban was reinstated.
“In a day, we see quite a lot of sales,” said the source. “There are quite a lot of people selling on the black market actually. We are selling to suppliers – so we sell in boxes.”
The source said that he sells around 90 bottles of wines and about 10 to 12 bottles of hard liquor per day.
According to the source, most of his customers are students who also want to make extra money.
The source sells alcohol at a “hyped” price, depending on the kind of wine he is selling, he said.
“If a student wants to make an extra buck he will buy a bottle at R120 and will then sell it for maybe R150, or whatever price they want,” said the source.
According to an anonymous source, who sells alcohol on the black market, most of his customers are other students who also want to make extra money. The source is selling alcohol by the boxes, he says. PHOTO:Supplied
*Update: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Nathalie Martin.