Couple dies after drinking home-made beer due to alcohol ban
A South African couple who made home brewed beer to get around a strict alcohol ban during coronavirus lockdown have died after consuming it.
Tony Hilliar, 54 and Alida Frouche, 42, decided to make their own home brew after South Africa went in to lockdown in late March and banned the sale of alcohol, The Sun reported.
On May 2 Mr Hilliar called emergency services to their Port Nolloth flat, when they arrived they found Ms Frouche dead and Mr Hilliar seriously ill, local police spokesperson Brigadier Mohale Ramatseba told outlet,The Citizen.
Police said Mr Hilliar was rushed to hospital where he later died in intensive care several days later.
Two empty bottles from the home made brew were seized by authorities for forensic investigation and an inquest has been opened to confirm the cause of deaths.
There has been a reported spike in home made alcohol since South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said lockdown would last three weeks but announced two extensions, he has also banned the purchase of cigarettes.
“They both liked a drink at the end of the day which is typically South African but thanks to this poorly thought out government ban there is no alcohol,” close friend of the pair Tommy Cockcroft told The Mirror.
"Everyone is making their own beer so Tony did as well but it seems something went terribly wrong with the brew and that they both collapsed and died very senseless deaths”.
Pastor Bertus de Jager who knew the couple well said they were “lovely people” who had been together about six years and were engaged to be married.
“They were very much in love and you would always see them around the town or on the beach hand in hand together ... this is so so tragic,” he told The Sunday Times.
According to The Citizen following president Ramaphosa’s latest announcement of a two week extension of the lockdown, Google SA reported ‘how to make your own alcohol’ as one of the top searches in the country.
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