Metro police uncover a fake alcohol factory in Zebra Street, Durbanville, leading to six arrests.
The arrests followed the uncovering of a fake alcohol factory in Durbanville.
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Cops are now investigating a case of illegal manufacturing of alcohol after the City of Cape Town Metro Police made the shocking discovery on Monday, 5 January 2026.
Cops were called after Metro police followed up on a complaint about liquor being sold at a premises in Zebra Street, Durbanville.
That is when they uncovered what appeared to be a small-scale alcohol manufacturing plant.
Western Cape police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the case. He said Durbanville police are investigating the illegal manufacturing of alcohol after the plant was uncovered.
Twigg added that the discovery “will be used as a steppingstone to uncover more illegal manufacturing plants in this illicit industry.”
MMC for Safety and Security Jean-Pierre Smith hailed the bust as a big win for the community.
He said Metro Police Neighbourhood Safety Officers received a tip-off about suspicious activity and acted fast.
Smith said six foreign nationals were found operating a primitive bottling setup with fake labels and packaging.
He said they claimed they were working for a Chinese national.
Smith warned that counterfeit alcohol is very dangerous and can contain toxic substances. Smith said these include methanol, which can cause blindness or death, and other harmful chemicals.
He praised the officers for their swift action and said SAPS was called to take over the scene for further investigation and prosecution.
Cops seize drums of fake alcohol during a raid on an illegal factory in Zebra Street, Durbanville.
Some booze lovers say fong kong alcohol is already hurting people.
A Langa resident said he noticed something wrong during the December ceremonies.
“I was drinking a lot during the mgidi ceremonies in December, and I have seen people getting drunk like never before. Some of them are even getting sick,” he said.
He believes people are buying and drinking fake booze without knowing it.
The Durbanville bust is not an isolated case.
In December 2025, two men were arrested in Khayelitsha after cops stopped a car at a roadblock on Spine Road.
Inside the vehicle, cops found boxes of Old Buck Gin. The suspects were unable to explain the origin of the liquor.
Sergeant Twigg confirmed that safer festive season operations led to the confiscation of illicit liquor and the discovery of an illegal booze factory in Lansdowne.
Cops later found manufacturing equipment, fake branding stickers, and containers with unknown liquids at a house.
The two suspects, aged 26 and 39, were arrested.
Three months earlier, seven Somali nationals were arrested in Klapmuts after another fong kong booze factory was uncovered.
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Twigg said cops found ethanol containers, 1 000-litre drums, empty bottles, and machines.
Residents and industry bodies have warned that fake booze is making people seriously ill and that the illegal alcohol trade is growing fast in the Western Cape.
