The days of unregistered businesses and illegal shebeens are numbered, said the South African Police Service in Limpopo.

The SAPS, in conjunction with the Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism and the Limpopo Liquor Board, have declared war against illegal spaza shops and unlicensed liquor outlets. Even in areas like Sinthumule and Kutama, spaza shops and illegal liqour businesses have been closed and the stock confiscated.

However, some others still operate in the still of the night with the lights switched off for the police not to notice that they are continuing to operate without a licence. Some illegal foreigners also have unregistered businesses all over the province and have become soft targets for criminals, said Brig Hangwani Muladzi, the provincial police spokesperson.

Working together with the Liquor Board, the police have been seizing any amount of liquor found at an unregistered outlet, or those which do not comply with the requirements of the Liquor Act. “Illegal foreigners who run illegal businesses tend to keep substantial amounts of money on their premises because they do not have access to banks in the country, making them vulnerable targets for opportunistic criminals,” Mulaudzi pointed out. “To date, 130 illegal spazas have been closed all over the province.”

A total of 60 illegal liquor outlets have been forced to close shop. A total of 57 fridges has been seized, 106 illegal foreigners have beenarrested and some 484 suspects have been arrested on various charges, ranging from rape to common assault, with illegal shebeens and unregistered spaza shops being the prime hot spots. The suspects will appear in various courts across the province soon.

“We are not going to compromise the safety of our residents by accommodating the minority who live on the wrong side of the law,” said the fuming Limpopo Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Mpembe. “All businesses must be registered and obey the set regulations.”

The SAPS has raised a concern that illegal shebeens are selling liquor to underaged youths, which influences the rate of rapes and robberies which the province has been experiencing of late.