This lockdown has taught us a lot about
ourselves.
One of the lessons we have learnt is just how serious South Africa’s drinking problem is.
Don’t take my word for it, this is according to our Minister of Police Bheki Cele.
This week the minister revealed that for the past month, there has been a 72% decrease in murders reported compared to the same period last year.
ISSUE: 16 incidents of liqour store lootings were reported
According to the statistics for 29 March to 22 April 2020:
- Murder cases plummeted from 1542 to 432
- Rape cases dropped from 2908 to 371 (87.2% decrease)
- Attempted murder is down by 65.9%
- Assault GBH fell 85.2%
- Robbery with aggravating
circumstances dropped by 69.6%
- Carjacking is down from 1146 to 219 (80.9%)
- Business robberies are down 65.5% and home robberies 53.8%.
Cele said the dramatic drop in crime was due to three key reasons: the lockdown, increased police visibility reinforced by the deployment of the army; and the prohibition of the sale of liquor.
Now, some of you might read between the lines and conclude: there’s the answer to our crime problem - more cop presence, less dop presence.
What Cele failed to mention was that there was one particular category of crime that actually increased: theft at liquor stores.
In fact, in the first three weeks of lockdown, 16 incidents of bottle store looting were reported in the Western Cape alone, for which 21 suspects were arrested.
ISSUE: 16 incidents of liqour store lootings were reported
Cele also noted a sharp 69.4% decrease in domestic violence cases reported, including murder, attempted murder, rape and sexual assault.
He said in two of these cases, men were killed by their girlfriends in arguments over booze.
“In one incident, the boyfriend refused to go out to buy liquor and in the other incident, the couple was under the influence of alcohol,” Cele said.
Now, to be clear, the point of this column is not to campaign for a permanent ban of alcohol.
It’s fine and legal to enjoy a drink, but when unruly mobs start smashing shops, killing each other to get their hands on dop- and motorists drive drunk - then we need to pause and admit that there’s a problem.
And we need to do something about it.
BAN: Police Minister Bheki Cele
Crime aside, alcohol abuse also has severe social effects on our health, families and communities.
Here’s some perspective: according to World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 31% of South Africans suip, which is not that shocking.
What is alarming is that this 31% consumes 28.9 litres of pure alcohol - per capita - a year.
This is the fifth highest consumption rate in the world, after Namibia (31.3 litres), Eswatini (32.7 litres), Cook Islands (32.9 litres) and Tunisia (33.4 litres).
WHO previously reported that South Africa has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related road deaths in the world, where as many as 58% of deaths can be linked to alcohol consumption.
We’ve always known that there was a problem, but it’s taken a lockdown to show us - and government - what we can achieve if we get this problem under control.
So what do we do? Lock down the dop?
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taariq.halim@inl.co.za