By Thabo Monama
Raisibe Mokoena spent over 25 years living in Soweto while working for a snacks company. During her time there, she noticed how local law enforcement often arrested people for public drinking. Most of those arrested were men. However, she observed that arrests for public drinking were relatively rare, as it was uncommon to see people openly consuming alcohol in public spaces.
Now residing in Tshwane, Raisibe notes a stark difference in behavior. “Since I moved to Tshwane, I’m not sure if the same laws apply here. People frequently drink in public, including women. It’s common to see people walking with alcohol or even drinking inside taxis,” she said.
Although people in Soweto and Tshwane seem to approach public drinking differently, both cities fall under Gauteng Province, which has clear laws regarding alcohol consumption in public spaces.
According to Gauteng’s provincial by-laws, anyone caught drinking in public can face a fine of R300.
However, enforcement of this regulation appears to vary across different areas, raising questions about consistency and public awareness of the law.
As cities like Tshwane and Hammanskraal continue to grow, addressing public drinking and its enforcement remains an ongoing challenge for local authorities.