Staff Reporter
A Phuthaditjhaba public order policing task team has bust an intricate plan by some people in the eastern Free State town to illegally transport alcohol in a funeral hearse to avoid detection by the police.
Under the adjusted Level 3 regulations of the national lockdown, the sale of alcohol is not allowed as well its distribution and transportation until January 15.
The ban is part of efforts by the government to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The government has blamed the consumption of alcohol in restaurants, bars and taverns for contributing to the spread of the virus and driving up trauma cases in hospitals.
Police say they received information about a person who was transporting liquor in a funeral parlour vehicle in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The vehicle, according to provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sam Makhele, was traced and found on Ntshingila Street in 42nd Hill, Harrismith.
The vehicle was searched and liquor valued at R5 000 was confiscated.
The 23-year-old suspect was arrested and detained for transporting liquor during the adjusted Level 3 lockdown.
He will appear before the Harrismith Magistrates Court charged under Disaster Management Act.
It’s not yet clear if the accused had the permission of the funeral company to use the vehicle to transport the liquor.
