Plural regulation of shebeens (informal drinking places)

Abstract

The regulation of space is understood to extend beyond the state to include decentralized, diffuse non-state actors. In South Africa, the regulation of shebeens has long been considered a means for state regulation of behaviour, controlling crime and disorder and generating state income. The post-apartheid state has sought to distance itself from old patterns, but struggles to respond to the problems associated with alcohol consumption. Non-state actors have sought to intervene in this gap. We examine how diverse actors contribute to the regulation of drinking and drinking spaces within informal settlements in Cape Town. Through applying a plural perspective on regulation, we identify and discuss strategies through which residents, shebeen owners and community leaders regulate the flow of alcohol and shebeen practices. We find some synergies between different actors' ideas regarding how shebeen practices should be regulated; however, we also see that while the current police regulation focuses on confiscation and arrest, actors within the settlements prefer softer regulation that takes into account the actual situation at hand. By displaying conflicts and intersections between formal and informal regulations of shebeens, we hope to inspire more research on plural, decentralized, and everyday regulations of alcohol and in the complex spaces of informality in the urban South.

Keywords::

• plural regulation
• shebeens
• alcohol
• informal settlements
• governance
• Cape Town

Notes

^1. Email: [email protected]

^2. A ‘shebeen’ an informal, unlicenced drinking space. This contrasts with a ‘tavern’, a term more commonly used to for a licenced establishment.

^3. In Cape Town, a number of approximately 285 informal settlements were estimated in 2007 (see http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/stats/Documents/Informal%20Settlements%20Count.mht, accessed 20 June 2013). Most – if not all – have several shebeens.

^4. In our research, shebeens were reportedly operated by the owners, although anecdotes suggest this is not always the case.

^5. These leaders and the ‘community committees’ they are part of usually emerge informally and are not part of the local government system (local government, subcouncils and ward councils), but usually have varying connections to these multi-scaled institutions and to actors such as NGOs and social movements. Different leaders engage in different activities, and some – as in any position – can abuse their position. There are usually several and sometimes rivalling community leaders within informal settlements.

^6. For an illustrative presentation of shebeens' appearance, see http://emergentcity.co.za/index2.html, accessed 12 July 2013.