RESPONSIBLE TRADING

RESPONSIBLE TRADING

ILLEGAL SHEBEEN VS LEGAL TAVERN Sipho Siso looks into the advantages and disadvantages of both legal and illegal shebeens.

Illegal shebeens

Although Merriam Kumalo* is aware of the pitfalls of running a shebeen, she is vehemently against stopping – because the money is good. Kumalo runs a shebeen in the heart of old Alex, which is a hive of activity with customers strolling in to buy bottled beer and traditional variants of home brew, better known in township lingo as ‘imbamba’ or ‘isqatha’.

She is constantly harassed by the police, who issue spot fines for trading without a licence, and in some instances, confiscate all her stock. What makes matters worse is that police officers soon realise that there is a gold mine in form of bribes. They demand that Merriam pays them a bribe in return for not being fined or having her stock confiscated. “What this amounts to is that each time the cops are broke, they will raid my shebeen, demanding the ‘cooldrink’ money. I’ve become a money-making machine for them.”

She said the police have a tendency to raid her ‘spotong’ at particular times, when it is full of customers so they can make even more money through bribes. They even demand bribes from her customers to avoid being arrested and charged with patronising an illegal beer outlet.

Without disclosing how much she makes for fear of being targeted by robbers, she said she will never quit the business. “They may raid me, take my stock and harass my patrons but I will never stop operating a shebeen. “The money I make here is good and this is tax-free money. I do not want to register because then I will have to share my money with the taxman and be subjected to various rules and regulations, such as when to sell and when not to sell, and to whom.

“All the money I make from beer sales goes into my pocket. If I legalise my shebeen, I will have to start paying tax, paying licence fees, and adhere to certain trading times and hours and be told not to sell to minors too.”

“Selling to minors does not mean I am reckless. I sell to minors that are sent by their parents. I know my customers and each time a new face comes around I worry because I do not know the motive behind the visit. If it’s a minor, I chase him or her away until the parents come themselves to introduce me to the child,” she said.

Kumalo says she will die a shebeen queen as she does not see herself returning to domestic work again. “I

used to be a domestic worker in Sandton but the money I make here a day by far surpasses the salary what I would earn in the suburbs in a week.

“I can send my children to school, buy them books, stationery and uniforms, and pay their fees as well. I have managed to educate my daughter from this business and today she is a top paramedic – from shebeen money. What more do I want in life?” she asks.

Legal tavern

Thandi Luruli of Thandi’s Tavern in Far Eastbank sings a different tune. Luruli owns a legal tavern that is registered with the Gauteng Liquor Board and operates within the confines of the law. “I am the happiest person today,” Luruli said. “I used to be a shebeen queen as well and would duck and dive the police all the time, risking my entire stock being confiscated and patrons arrested. All this is a thing of the past. I do not suffer constant harassment and intimidation for bribes from hungry police officers as used to be the case before.

“Now I have peace of mind and can spend my time contemplating the provision of better services to my customers,” said Luruli, who also has the power of buying in bulk directly from the brewery itself.

“Buying in bulk means I get huge discounts from South African Breweries and I also fall within the ambit of their promotions. From the promotions they often run, I get a sizeable amount of stock for free, which I can flexibly sell to my customers.

“When there is a new product in the market, we often get these products for free for promotional purposes. After spending a certain amount on stock or reaching a certain target of orders, the SAB also delivers brand new refrigerators to keep your beer crispy cold for customers. If you are an illegal trader you do not get to enjoy these benefits,” Luruli said.

Bragging about the benefit of being a registered and legal trader, Luruli said she was recently involved a programme and project of the SAB in association with the national Department of Health, the South African Business Coalition on HIV/Aids and the Society of Family Health, in which she freely distributed condoms to her patrons.

The project involved more than 16 000 taverns countrywide and Luruli’s was among those to receive a share of more than 850 million condoms, which were distributed over a five-year period. When a tavern owner placed orders at an SAB depot, the brewery would then include boxes of condoms for free distribution.

“As a tavern owner, this was my way of contributing towards saving a life or lives from the ravages of HIV/Aids. It makes good business sense not just to enjoy the profits of beer sales but also to be a good and responsible citizen who has the well being of your customers at heart.

“This kind act alone brought me many customers who realised that I was not just a greedy tavern owner out to make a quick buck.

“You save our lives,” they say. “When we are drunk we are more reckless and take chances with our lives, but with these condoms dispensed to us with every purchase, we have learnt to be responsible drinkers.” “So too have I. I have learnt to be a responsible liquor trader who does not sell to minors. I always imagine if that minor I have sold beer to was my own son or daughter, how would I feel? One of the principles we are being taught to be responsible liquor traders is that my neighbour’s child is my child. Anything bad happening to that child should resonate in the same manner if it happens to my own flesh and blood,” Luruli said.

Luruli said she was roped into the condom distribution plan of the SAB because she had a similar condom project of her own. “I had been running my own free condom dispensary long before the brewery arrived. I believe I have played my own role in saving lives in the fight against HIV/Aids and young girls falling victim to teenage pregnancy.”

It is indisputable that Luruli is surely a tavern owner of a different kind, proven by the fact that she runs what many would consider a dirty business sideby-side with her charity work. Luruli is the founder of Sinethemba Daycare and Feeding Scheme for the less fortunate children of her community.

“Selling liquor is only a means to survival in order to put a plate of food on my table and for these kids I care for. My greatest love and passion is these children and to see to it that their tummies are full and they are happy and healthy. I believe all my actions of dispensing condoms and running the daycare and feeding scheme for children has helped save lives, though I do not have the means to quantify this,” she concludes.

*not her real name