Seven liquor establishments were closed down, thousands of rands worth of fines issued and hundreds of litres of alcohol confiscated following undercover work in a joint operation.

The City of Cape Town’s liquor enforcement unit teamed up with the police and the Western Cape Liquor Authority in recent days to focus on compliance at night clubs, shebeens and taverns.

The operations focused on establishments in Mitchell’s Plain, Gugulethu, Philippi East, Lwandle, Nyanga, Belhar and Khayelitsha.

Officers inspected a total of 39 premises and issued spot fines totalling R14 000. They also issued 10 compliance notices and confiscated 620F alcohol.

In addition, four suspects were arrested for selling alcohol illegally, resulting in the closure of seven shebeens in Lwandle, Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Gugulethu.

“We have started using undercover officers to bait illegal operators and the results are clear to see. We need the public to help us by lifting the lid on illegal shebeens that pop up in their communities, but also the legal ones – some of which insist on pushing the boundaries,” said mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith.

Elsewhere, the City’s vice squad continued their operations to curb street prostitution and brothels and conducted numerous integrated operations with the Hawks.

Earlier this month, similar operations by the liquor enforcement unit and vice squad resulted in the issuing of 15 spot fines for bylaw contraventions totalling more than R17 000.

Two arrests took place and they confiscated 117F alcohol.

They arrested 14 sex workers and issued 16 spot fines, totalling more than R111 000. Five written warnings were given to women who were found to be new to the sex trade