Yet another arrest has been made in connection with the illegal sale of alcohol in the central South African region this week, but it’s the way traders are now concealing their stash that’s raising eyebrows – with the latest accused from the North West hiding his alcohol stock in potato bags.

North West police spokesperson, Sabata Mokgwabone says on Monday 25 January, two men between the ages of 50 and 54 years old were arrested in Brits, for the illegal sale and purchase of alcohol under stringent lockdown level 3 regulations.

Mokgwabone says authorities were tipped off regarding the illegal sale of alcohol at the Brits store and as a result, the establishment was placed under police surveillance. On Monday authorities caught the shop owner red-handed selling alcohol to a client. More alcohol was recovered hidden inside potato bags in the store, estimated at R16 250.

Mokgwabone says both the store manager and the client were arrested and issued with R5000 and R 1000 fines respectively. Police ended up confiscating the over R 16 000 worth of alcohol.

Earlier in the week, a man in his mid-30s was arrested by Northern Cape police for selling over R50 000 worth of liquor from his home in the Kimberley township of Galeshewe.

Northern Cape police spokesperson, Olebogeng Tawana went on to say that in a separate incident, police in the Mothibistad, near Kuruman arrested another man who was found transporting liquor. The suspect was arrested in Magojaneng village, subsequent to a tip-off about a taxi busy illegally transporting liquor, added Tawana.

Meanwhile, alcohol producers and traders are continuing to be battered by the alcohol ban. The South African Breweries (SAB) recently announced that they have been forced to suspend over 500 temporary jobs due to the alcohol ban, whereas the Restaurants Association of South Africa staged a sit-in at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Monday calling on the government to review its decision on the ban of alcohol sales.

The association’s Wendy Alberts has gone on to call for an end to the 21:00 curfew as well, seeing it as the only way that restaurants will survive.