SHEBEENS IN THE NEWS: CONTESTING ALCOHOL CONTROL POLICIES IN THE WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA

Clare HerrickDepartment of Geography

King’s College London

Phase Policy Actors Problem Solution1 Opposing the

“legalisation” of shebeens in the Liquor Act (May 2007- late 2008)

WCLB Community and neighbourhood organisations

Violence, crime Keep shebeens out of residential areas; reduce numbers

Provincial government (ANC)

Unregulated shebeens

Regulation

2 City by-laws and regulating hours of operation (late 2008- early 2009)

City of Cape Town by-law

Club, Bar and Restaurant Association of the Western Cape (hospitality industry)

Law is targeting the “wrong” people and places

Focus on the “right” people and places (i.e. shebeens and shebeeners)

Municipal government (DA)

Laws cannot distinguish between people and places

One law for the municipality reducing hours of operation

3 Shebeen owners organise (early 2009-mid 2011)

WCLB Shebeen owners/Western Cape Shebeen Association

Those shebeens associated with crime and violence

Shebeens and police work together to weed out “bad” shebeens

1. Opposing the “legalization” of shebeens in the WCLB (May 2007- late 2008)

The DA will crack down hard on drug and alcohol abuse – a problem that leads many young South Africans to destroy their lives. Among other things, we will reinstate the narcotics bureau, triple the funding allocation to the central drug authority and tighten up on bail for drug offences

(DA Social Development Policy, 2012)

The bill assumes that alcohol abuse is strongly associated with crime - drugs, child prostitution, assaults, robbery, domestic violence and more. The impact on health and education, the carnage on our roads and the intolerable disruption of otherwise orderly and peaceful communities are central considerations (CT, 23 June, 2008).

2. The City’s by-laws and regulating hours of operation (late 2008- early 2009)

‘it’s a civilized thing to do on a Sunday morning – stroll down to your seafront eatery and enjoy a glass or two of delicious Cape bubbles with your salmon omelet and Sunday newspaper’

(CA, 6 Sept, 2010).

‘police will have their hands full with illegal parties and drunk drivers going to Paarl to get a drink after Cape Town shuts’

(CT, 24 Dec, 2010).

3. Shebeen owners organise (early 2009-mid 2011)

Shebeens are ‘[places] where people can come together as a community to have a good, relaxing time… not a breeding ground for crime or drugs’

(CA, 23 Feb, 2010).

‘compliance with the guidelines set out here does not guarantee the success of an application. The Liquor Act and its regulations are complex and applicants should seek professional advice regarding its working’

The province has failed ‘to acknowledge the legacy of apartheid, where hopelessly inadequate town planning in black townships continues to blight and frustrate black entrepreneurs trying to empower themselves and in doing so, make a living’

(CA, 6 Dec, 2010).

‘there are simply not enough business opportunities in townships. The government is clamping down on our taxi industry, Somalians are taking over our shops and we will now lose bottle stores’

(CA, 11 April, 2011).

www.alcoholsouthafrica.wordpress.com