The City’s enforcement services confiscate thousands of litres of alcohol each summer – specifically over the peak festive season.

The confiscations are done in terms of the City’s by-laws, which prohibit the introduction, and consumption, of alcohol in public spaces.

Any person who contravenes the by-laws has their alcohol confiscated and receives a R500 fine. They are able to reclaim their impounded alcohol, at a cost, once the fine has been paid.

Over the peak festive season, between 1 December 2022 and 31 January 2023, the City’s enforcement services confiscated 23 121 units of alcohol, amounting to nearly 10 500 litres.

Recently, over the weekend of 20 – 22 October, officers confiscated 1 176 units of alcohol (604 litres).

‘We are gearing up for a busy festive season, and historically, alcohol abuse has proven to be one of the biggest enforcement challenges, not only on our roads, but also in public spaces. It places an immense burden on enforcement and emergency services, who have to manage the consequences of people’s selfish actions. As we head towards the year-end festivities, the City reminds the public that drinking in public is not allowed. In far too many instances, it sours the enjoyment of those around you, but also puts lives at risk when people get behind the wheel drunk,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

All confiscated alcohol is tagged and stored in terms of the City’s Impoundments policy.

Should an individual wish to reclaim their goods, they can do so once the fine, and impoundment release fee are paid.

Any unclaimed goods can be destroyed after three months, in terms of the policy. 

Before the alcohol is destroyed, the tags that are placed on the confiscated goods when they are booked in, are removed and vetted against an inventory list.

‘Every time this topic comes up, there is great debate about what the City should do with confiscated alcohol. Legislation doesn’t allow the resale of the goods, and frankly, it would be wildly inappropriate for the City to effectively put alcohol back on the streets. In terms of where the alcohol goes, we have rigorous systems in place that account for every bottle or can, and we’ve even had people testing these systems, only to find that they do exist. I really do hope that we’ll get to a time where the debate will shift to our relationship with alcohol and the continued risk it poses to public safety,’ added Alderman Smith.

End