SA brewer dumps thousands of litres of beer

South African Breweries (SAB), the country's largest alcohol brewer, has dumped more than 25,000 litres of beer at its Rosslyn plant in Pretoria during the country's dry lockdown.

It plans to dispose of 130 million litres of beer in all, because it has run out of space to legally store alcohol at its facilities.

South Africa’s strict lockdown rules to curb the spread of coronavirus prohibit the sale and transportation of alcohol, and this has prevented the brewer from moving its stock to warehouses for storage.

The prohibition of alcohol and cigarettes is a contentious issue in South Africa – it has divided cabinet ministers and members of the public.

The ban has created a thriving black market for products which were once freely available.

In a statement SAB warned that the alcohol ban does not remove the demand but merely "hands the market to criminals".

If the ban continues the brewer says up to 2,000 jobs could be lost and a further 75,000 jobs in its supply chain could also be affected.