30 000 shebeens in Cape to close?

CAPE TOWN – About 3 000 furious shebeen owners on Tuesday marched to the provincial parliament to show their dissatisfaction with the new Western Cape Liquor Act.

It states that shebeens are no longer allowed in residential areas, meaning that about 30 000 shebeens in the Western Cape will be forced to close.Mawethu Ndude, organiser of the march, handed over a petition with 8 000 signatures to Garth Strachan, provincial minister of finance, economic development and tourism. Strachan is seen as the man behind the new liquor law.Of the biggest complaints is the loss of income that shebeen owners will suffer and the ‘150 000 people who will be without food’. ‘The government wants to address a social problem, but they are taking our jobs,’ said Errol Jackson, 45, of the Western Cape Shebeen Association.They are also threatening to boycott the upcoming election if their requests are ignored.Jackson said there would be ‘huge chaos’ in the Mother City if the law was not revised.Ndude said they would turn to the courts if necessary.Strachan patiently listened while the lengthy petition was read out to him and peaceful demonstrators sang ‘We are tigers and not scared of you’.Strachan said local government was sympathetic to the plight of illegal shebeen owners who depended on the income to put food on the table.’Considering the unmistakable link between alcohol and violence, especially against women and children and on roads, it would be incredibly irresponsible to continue allowing the distribution of liquor in our communities,’ he said.There are about 900 licensed shebeens in the Western Cape. These shebeens are not situated in residential areas. – Die Burger