Boozers take drastic measures to quench their thirst.
Lockdown regulations have halted all sales of alcohol in Mzansi.
As a result, people have turned into distilling methylated spirit with other soft drinks for a quick fix.
Themba Msibi (29) from Thembisa told Daily Sun that people were consuming liquids containing alcohol to take their urges away.
“The lockdown has forced us to get to this point and people will do anything just get a quick fix and it is concerning because it has now become a trend,” he said.
Msibi said the practice has been going on for a while where people often mix methyl spirits using dairy products such as milk and soft drinks.
“They also melt sugary substances such as sweets to add flavour onto the mixture and I still find it shocking that people can go such an extra mile just to get intoxicated,” he added.
A concerned parent, Zanele Tshabalala (55) told Daily Sun that she had to get rid of all products containing alcohol in her house.
“Such practices are dangerous, and I fear that people are going to lose their lives if they continue consuming things that are not regulated by the government,” she said.
Microbiologist and alcohol brewer, Apiwe Mawela told Daily Sun that her industry forces them to strictly through the natural process of fermentation and use natural sugars to brew alcohol.
“The methylated spirits which people are using to make alcohol is not for consumption because even on the bottles there are warnings which say spirits are dangerous if swallowed.
“This poses a lot of danger because it is not a normal process of brewing and people should stay away from such things,” she said.
Mawela is Mzansi’s first black female brewmaster and was in charge of overseeing the brewing process, of the South African Breweries.
She said people should be patient and resort to making homemade beer instead of putting their lives at risk.
“They must use traditional products such as umthombo wamabele to make umqombothi and try not to speed up the process so that there are no complications after consuming,” she added.
Meanwhile, the South African National Council on Drug and Alcohol Dependence (SANCA) has voiced its concerns about how the government’s regulations regarding no alcohol and tobacco purchases were affecting addicts.
In a statement, SANCA spokesperson, Thembi Msane said addicts were at risk of taking any substances they come across due to the regulations.
“A person with substance use disorder may be triggered by the added stress and use alcohol, nicotine and other substances to relieve some of the tension, which can lead to increased consumption and addiction during this period,” she said.
