If you were caught with booze on the beach or elsewhere these holidays, it could be sitting in a municipal storage unit, waiting for you to claim it.
The municipality confiscated more than 8 000 bottles of liquor from city beaches and public spaces since December 1. These total more than 6 000 litres of liquor.
Beers and ciders accounted for most of these confiscations.
For the past month and a half, the city’s Liquor Enforcement Unit focused on beaches in light of the dangers of drinking and swimming.
Officers issued 331 spot fines for alcohol contraventions on the beaches, totalling R165 500.
The tally is already nearly 300 bottles more than the 2012/2013 festive season.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said: “We know that many drowning incidents are caused by excessive alcohol consumption and we are determined to use all resources at our disposal to prevent such tragedies... We have warned the public on numerous occasions that it is an offence to bring alcohol into public spaces, yet many still continue to do so.
“However, we will not be deterred and the successes of this season will simply strengthen our resolve to ensure the safety of our beachgoers and visitors.”
The confiscated liquor is taken to the municipality’s storage facility in Ndabeni.
You can reclaim confiscated booze, but it is going to cost you.
There is a release fee of R1 140 and you need to produce proof of payment of your spot fine.
However, no one has requested to have their booze returned yet.
After three months, it will all be destroyed.
In December, officers from the Liquor Enforcement Unit and police also issued 66 spot fines to night clubs and shebeens for various contraventions of by-laws.
The unit also permanently closed five shebeens in Kensington, Macassar and Kalkfontein in Kuils River.
Faced with the threat of hefty fines of between R5 000 and R20 000, including suspended prison terms for non-compliance, the owners of these establishments opted to shut down.
On the roads, Cape Town Traffic and Metro Police officers arrested 272 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol between December 14 and January 8.
“The public also has a responsibility to help make our city a safer place by changing their behaviour and realising the danger they are posing to themselves and others by over- indulging,” added Smith.
- Saturday Argus