BOOZERS had a headache as alcohol valued over R1,8 million was destroyed on Tuesday in the Eastern Cape.
According to Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga, the booze was confiscated from illegal taverns and legal taverns that were operating beyond the allowed times across the province.
During the operations, police confiscated a number of licences from taverns that didn’t adher to operating hours.
During the disposal of the liquor at the Public Order Policing Unit in Mthatha, Ntshinga was accompanied by provincial MEC of Transport, Safety and Liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe.
Said Ntshinga: “We want to clean all our stores. We’re not taking alcohol, instead we’re destroying it.”
Ntshinga said 11 officers were relieved from their duties for allegedly stealing alcohol.
“We’re here to break alcohol that could have broken relationships. We’re also here to break and destroy alcohol that could have broken families,” she said.
“Going forward, we won’t have to do this again because we’d have learnt from this experience.”
She said kids were orphaned because of alcohol and fathers are in jail while mothers have been buried because of it.
“We’re not here to demonise alcohol or pin every societal ill on it. We’re here to encourage responsible drinking.”
She warned that if people break the law, police are going to act.
A Ncise Village resident said: “We need this alcohol this festive season. Why are these people destroying it? But they’re doing their job.”
Although the 29-year-old man looked disappointed, he said those who abuse alcohol cause problems in the community.
The liquor disposal comes after Police Minister Bheki Cele said booze contributed to murder, gender-based violence and rape cases in Mzansi.
