Download Clare Herrick - Alcohol, Development and Poverty in South Africa

SHEBEENS IN THE NEWS: CONTESTING
ALCOHOL CONTROL POLICIES IN THE
WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA
Clare Herrick
Department of Geography
King’s College London
1
2
3
Phase
Opposing the
“legalisation” of
shebeens in the Liquor
Act (May 2007- late
2008)
City by-laws and
regulating hours of
operation (late 2008early 2009)
Shebeen owners
organise (early 2009mid 2011)
Policy
WCLB
Actors
Community and
neighbourhood
organisations
Provincial government
(ANC)
City
of Club, Bar and
Cape Town Restaurant Association
of the Western Cape
by-law
(hospitality industry)
WCLB
Problem
Violence, crime
Solution
Keep shebeens
out of residential
areas; reduce
numbers
Unregulated
shebeens
Law is targeting
the “wrong”
people and
places
Regulation
Focus on the
“right” people
and places (i.e.
shebeens and
shebeeners)
Municipal government Laws cannot
distinguish
(DA)
between people
and places
One law for the
municipality
reducing hours
of operation
Shebeen
owners/Western Cape
Shebeen Association
Shebeens and
police work
together to
weed out “bad”
shebeens
Those shebeens
associated with
crime and
violence
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