The quest for continued wine consumption at a time of coronavirus-style prohibition is driving both drinkers and producers to resort to distribution tactics reminiscent of bootlegging, a Freight News investigation has found.
According to sources in the Western Cape, people in essential services with permits to travel freely across the province have come up with creative ways to get wine flowing again.
This comes after wine farmers warned that they would need to lay off employees if they could not move product.
In one instance wine is being distributed across the province by a supplier serving the farming industry.
Although Freight News is aware of the supplier’s actual service, he shared the information about his side-line on condition that the salient details about the primary product he moves be withheld.
What can be said is that his service is an innovative answer to the spare space and empty leg problem facing transporters.
And although it’s illegal to transport wine or any alcoholic product under Stage 4 Disaster Management Act measures, at least one wine farm in the Franschoek area told the Freight News informer that “unless we do something about all the wine we sit with we face closure.
“We employ a lot of people but at the moment we’re not showing any revenue. If we don’t move product we can’t keep them on.”
In the meantime Terry Gale, chair of the Western Cape Exporters’ Club, said they were not aware of such a ‘distribution network’, but that he was not too surprised to learn about it.
“We have to take our chances at the moment. There are a lot of grey areas and we don’t know what is legal or not.”
Gale was outspoken during stage 5 lockdown about the need for restrictions to be lifted on wine exports, but added that his understanding was that wine exports from South Africa were allowed at the moment.
With regards to vacillation about another ‘sin consumption’ that is forcing citizens to break the lockdown – smoking – Gale said “government doesn’t know what it’s doing.
“One day you can smoke, the next day you can’t.”
Gale’s comments came at a time when reports have re-emmerged about the cosy relationship that alleged drug smuggler Adriano Mazzotti has with Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Coming as it does after she stopped cigarette sales last Wednesday evening when they were initially allowed under stage 4 of the lockdown, conveniently opening the gate to contraband, Gale said he could understand the plight of legitimate producers, traders and consumers.
“It’s either that or we can throw our product away. People are asking:'If government is doing illegal things, why can’t we?'
“The more this sort of thing comes out in the open domain, the better.”
