South Africa moonshine

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2020

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

Pineapple beer is the universal homebrew in South Africa and pineapple prices trebled when the government imposed a ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco during the coronavirus pandemic. South Africa has recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases in Africa and the government introduced the ban to ease the pressure on hospitals. With the infection rate now falling the ban has been lifted although some restrictions remain in place. Ed Butler and Vauldi Carelse have been hearing from the brewers, both legal and illegal, on the impact the ban has had on their livelihoods and on people’s health, and since the ban has ended, from those considering what lessons the nation might learn from its experiment with being ‘dry’.

(Image: Barman working at a bar which has re-opened under new regulations in Val, South Africa, 07 August 2020. Credit: EPA/Kim Ludbrook)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Prohibition, an entire nationwide alcohol ban.
0:04.4	It is an idea that, I imagine, for many of us conjures images of mobsters and
0:09.4	speakeasies back in 1920s America. The truth is that not many other developed countries
0:15.4	around the world have attempted such a ban since that era. It is controversial and
0:20.9	hard to enforce. But this year South Africa did just that.
0:25.3	And I was intrigued, truly intrigued to find out exactly how people would react to this.
0:31.2	What would an outright ban on the alcohol culture do to a society?
0:37.0	Well, let's be honest, it has been pretty heavily ingrained for decades.
0:41.0	It was a surprising and mixed picture I found. Have a listen, see what you think.
0:47.0	It's early August. This is a township outside Johannesburg. A group of men are sitting,
0:57.0	beer or some kind of moonshine in hand, shouting and joking with each other. They come here most days,
1:04.0	despite a government ban on alcohol sales and drinking in public.
1:08.0	So what they're doing is illegal,
1:11.0	but they don't care.
1:12.0	We need something, we need alcohol in our country. is illegal, but they don't care.
1:15.0	We need alcohol in our bodies. It's like water.
1:17.0	They dictate our lives.
1:20.0	R. My name's Ed Butler.
1:24.7	For this edition of assignment on the BBC,
1:27.1	I'm joined by my colleague Voldi Carlson
1:29.7	who's been out in the townships of Alexandra and Soweto meeting some of the characters there.
1:35.0	Walking around Alexander Township on a Sunday afternoon,
	...

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