Why South Africa Banned Booze — And What Happened Next

In South Africa, the government tried to control the COVID-19 outbreak by banning booze to keep people from gathering. Plus, sober South Africans were less likely to violently protest a complete lockdown.

You couldn't sit at a bar; you couldn't order a glass of wine; you couldn't even buy beer at the store.

There was an immediate public health benefit that had nothing to do with COVID-19. Suddenly, emergency rooms were empty, devoid of alcohol-related accidents.

But the ban also exposed the country's complicated and painful history with alcohol.

In March, as South Africa lifted the ban, people flooded into bars. At noon, on a weekday, there are already a dozen people at the Premium Sports bar in Cape Town. Wellington Tobella was drinking a pitcher of beer with his friends.

"That is why now we are all together. We are all starting to enjoy this new life," says Tobella, a public employee in his 40s.