Johannesburg – It’s the cases of wine that are selling the fastest, says Charmaine Foster*
“I think a lot of people probably stocked up the hard tack, but now they don’t have the wines.”
The mother of three, who is unemployed, started selling alcohol on the black market recently to help bring in an income. She dabbles in cigarettes too, but that only covers her petrol.
“I don’t have work so this is my income… Last week, we did five cases (of wine) and I just got an order for one case. Nothing’s sold on the hard tack and you make maybe R300 to R400 a case of wine. I don’t know what they’re making (the suppliers).”
A big part of what interferes with demand is the pricing. “I’m very lucky because the few people who have been buying are on the richer side of things.”
She got involved through a friend who gave her a contact. “You place your order with them (the contact), collect and pay them cash and then deliver your stock.”
“They are making you a criminal. They are making us do this.” And it’s worth the risk. “At this stage it brings in a little cash. I’m fine and the deliveries last week were quite far; it worked out well – there were no cops on the road.”
She says she sells booze to friends of friends and to relatives.
*Not her real name
