Home-brewed alcohol which has recently become a hit with many imbibers in countries restricting the sale of alcohol during the coronavirus induced lockdown is suspected to have claimed two lives in South Africa.

According to South African Police spokesperson Brig Mohale Ramatseba, a 42-year-old woman was found dead at her flat in Port Nolloth, Northern Cape. The woman’s partner, a 54-year-old male, who was seriously ill was rushed to hospital where he later died.

Empty containers suspected to have had illicit home-brewed beer were discovered at the scene, leading to suspicion that the two died after consuming the home-brewed beverage.

‘A 54-year-old man was found seriously ill. He later died in hospital. Two empty bottles of homemade brew has been seized for forensic tests,’Ramatseba told SowetanLive.

This comes amid growing enthusiasm for home brewing among many imbibers which has been witnessed by the surge in online searches of easy methods to brew beer using home ingredients.

South Africa, which is one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic in the region has prohibited the sale of liquor in all the retail outlets in a drastic effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, citing that imbibers pose a threat to the success of the national lockdown.

So far, the draconian clampdown on the sale of alcohol has had disastrous results. Out of desperation, some locals have broken into liquor stores and stolen alcoholic beverages. The ban has also led to the emergence of a thriving black market as the demand for alcohol rises.