Joy and long lines as booze flows

Booze is back in a big way and  there is no stopping  thousands of Bay residents from stocking up after two long, dry months.

Mncedisi Solo, 60,  from KwaDwesi, who literally traversed the metro to get his favourite tipple on Monday, aptly summed up the  the mood in the queues by likening it to SA’s watershed election in 1994.

Solo said his quest began in the morning, but he soon gave up queuing in his township because the lines of customers defied belief.

He then made his way to an Ultra Liquor outlet in Newton Park, only to become dispirited once more by the throngs of thirsty customers.

Undeterred, Solo slowly but determinedly made his way to Prestons  Liquor Stores in Mount Pleasant.

“The queues in Newton Park are like those in the first democratic election, which is why I came to Prestons,” Solo said, sitting contentedly on his newly purchased precious cargo.  

Similar scenes played themselves out at liquor outlets across the Bay on Monday  —  the first day since March 26 of legal alcohol sales under the newly implemented level 3 of the coronavirus lockdown.

Most customers were champing at the bit to get their hands on their favourite beverage at reasonable prices —  some having  paid huge amounts  of money for illicit alcohol during  levels 4 and 5.  

Others, even as they queued, expressed the fear that the ban had been lifted too soon.

Under the new rules, bottle stores, taverns and bars may sell alcohol, purely on a takeaway basis, from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday.

At Makro in Cape Road, Linton Grange,  about 180 people had joined the alcohol queue at 11am. 

A man in his thirties from Zwide, who asked not to be named, said he had managed to get his hands on a bottle of brandy on Saturday despite the ban still being in place.

“I bought brandy for R250 on Saturday for the first time [since lockdown]. I was so happy when I took my first sip.

“I nearly bought alcohol again on Sunday but I stopped myself, because Monday was around the corner.

“Today I bought my groceries and I’m going to buy alcohol that will last me up until Sunday,” he said, adding that he was concerned that people queuing at other venues might not always adhere to  social distancing guidelines and thus put themselves at risk of contracting the coronavirus.  

Ryan Tinley, of Colchester in Sundays River, was also in the Makro queue and  expressed delight that the ban had been lifted but questioned why it had been implemented in the first place.

“Other countries didn’t have a ban on alcohol. I don’t think alcohol should’ve been banned in South Africa as well,” Tinley said.

Dawie Verster, also from Colchester, said Makro employees had  threatened to close the shop if people did not observe social distancing or if they took off their masks, adding that police had been patrolling the area.

Mandla Ngcibi, who was buying stock at Makro for the tavern he owns, said the lockdown had affected tavern owners badly.

“We are happy that we can buy but we don’t know how [the restrictions governing the hours during which alcohol may be sold] will affect us.”  

Funeka Zuzani, who owns Pura’s Tavern in Greenbushes, echoed  Ngcibi’s sentiments.

“The operating times from Monday to Thursday for selling alcohol don’t really favour us because at 5pm, when we have to stop selling alcohol, that is when our customers arrive from work.

“So we can’t be happy just yet, because we don’t know if we will be able to make any profit from the restriction being lifted,” Zuzani said.

Xolile Nzanze, who  was eagerly waiting his turn at the Tops outlet at the SPAR in New Brighton, said he was happy to be able to buy liquor but was  scared of catching the coronavirus.

“I’m concerned about our safety. Most people didn’t come [to the bottle store] because they were afraid of getting Covid-19 in the queues.

“I’m also concerned that crime will go up now as well because of alcohol,” Nzanze said.

Grant Campbell, of Schauderville, who was queuing at Ultra Liquor in Newton Park, said he felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

“This makes me feel like things are nearly back to normal. Being at home had me feeling so bored, doing nothing.

“I’m not a drunkard, but me standing in this queue is worth it. I mean you can’t have a tshisa nyama, [a braai] without alcohol,” Campbell said.