Opinion: Lockdown is no excuse to demonise drinkers, Bheki Cele

We’re all in this lockdown together, and that spirit is shining through stronger than ever. Generally, South Africa’s commitment to observing these strict regulations has been admirable: The country certainly has it tougher than the UK, the US or even Australia when it comes to the limitations placed on our civil liberties. So now we have this positive foundation, why does it feel like Bheki Cele is trying to chip away at it?

Bheki Cele and his aversion to alcohol

An overwhelming majority of us are playing ball, here: You shut the pubs, and we agreed. You banned the sale of alcohol during lockdown, and we politely stocked up before the deadline. But now, Police Minister Cele is trying to push a more insidious agenda though – he’s talking up the idea of “permanently banning alcohol sales” in SA.

In the same breath, he’s acknowledged that he does not have the authority to implement prohibition post-lockdown. Under that trademark hat of his is a mind that understands how a backdoor booze ban could cause carnage. Which begs the question, why must he even mention the idea of depriving South Africans of alcohol?

It’s not the first time Cele has tried to pin the failures of modern-day South Africa on the sauce. High crime rates, according to the minister, are a direct result of alcohol abuse.

It’d be nice if Cele could keep this same energy when analysing the statistics for citizens living in poverty, or the direct results of millions who are denied education… or even the mechanics of an employment market that systematically excludes half of our youths.

Alcohol and crime: Causes vs facilitators

But no. Alcohol is the hill Bheki Cele is willing to die on. He continues to make snide comments about drinkers and criminals, correlating the two as if they’re inseparable. By all means, there are a number of crimes that are fuelled by ale… but for violent offenders, a drink doesn’t suddenly turn them into The Hulk.

There are underlying reasons: Medical, cultural and societal. As police minister, your remit is to help limit the causes of crime, rather than just the facilitators. You can’t just pick the easy option and put everyone in the same boat. And, as much as Mr Cele and a few of his colleagues like to trumpet links between alcohol bans and a reduction in crime, they do that by ignoring one of the biggest problems South Africa is saddled with:

“In relation to gender based violence, Minister Cele confirmed that the number of complaints remained high and therefore concerning. Over 2 300 calls complaints have been registered since the beginning of the lockdown on 27 March 2020 until 31 March 2020 and from these, 148 suspects were charged.”

SAPS statement on Sunday 5 April

Bheki Cele’s booze crusade hits a snag

Furthermore, the Department of Social Development says there have been over 3 600 GBV complaints in the 10 days of lockdown so far. Alcohol hasn’t been on sale since Thursday 26 March. This is concrete proof that pointing the finger at drinkers ultimately becomes a redundant task.

In times like these, a few beers can really “take the edge off”. If lockdown worsens, if coronavirus cases rise, and if deaths start to skyrocket, it becomes unfathomable to understand why people should then have to give up booze while the entire world goes to pot.

But believe it or not, avoiding alcohol has no influence on whether you’re a good person or not. Likewise with drink, to be honest – too much of it isn’t big, nor is it clever.

But when this chaotic horror film draws to a close, Cele and his colleagues will need us all to help rebuild an ailing economy. That will begin in the pubs, the clubs and the restaurants. We’ve got a party to plan. Our GDP is specifically asking us to crack a few cold ones when the time is right. There’s no need to alienate tens of millions of people because it makes a good soundbite.

Prohibition would not work in SA

However, it does little to help build the “tough cop” image Bheki Cele so clearly seeks. Prohibition wouldn’t be a strong move, it would be a weak one. Incomparably weak. It would be willful ignorance in the face of hundreds of more pressing problems facing South Africa.

We are not a nation of louts. A few let the side down, but we don’t need this patronising sideshow telling us that none of us can be trusted with our alcohol: Look at us. Look at us in earnest – a high number of people breaking lockdown laws are exercise enthusiasts – now, you can’t get very far in your lycra when you’ve got a beer in your hand. You can crackdown on cyclists before you start raiding our fridges, mate.

Of course, as I type this, I see that a liquor store has been looted in Langa today. Of course… but rather than pulling the rug from my feet, it supplements a point I’m yet to make: Banning alcohol would only push it underground. Putting it in the same category as narcotics would be lunacy, and if Cele and his department think that prohibition would eradicate alcohol-fuelled crimes, he will need to look at SA’s lost war on drugs.

There are other fights that need your attention, minister

Banning something doesn’t necessarily wipe it from the crime stats. In some cases, it encourages more lawlessness, more social division and – certainly in the case of alcohol – would create a backlog of criminal cases that SAPS does not have the time or resources to handle. Making it taboo would not end well.

Cele needs to think twice about the real enemy. Because it’s not the hard-working breweries. It’s not the rich tapestry of bars and night-spots that illuminate South Africa in our darkest hours. It’s not the revellers who deserve a release every now and then. And, we can guarantee you, it’s not a tourism industry that will need all the support it can get when we emerge from this all-encompassing gloom.

Pick another fight please, Mr Cele. There are plenty to choose from.