she•been [Irish Gaelic séibín ] n. An unlicensed drinking establishment, especially in Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa.
Growing up as white South Africans, we “middle class” teenagers of the late 1980s made good use of the shebeens when we wanted a bit of adventure away from our usual ‘whitey’ stomping grounds, or needed to get hold of alcohol after hours.
But for many citizens who lived in the informal settlements where these (then all) illegal pubs mushroomed during the apartheid era, the shebeen was a vital part daily life. A place to meet friends, drink, gamble, dance. Where culture could be celebrated and evolve instead of being stifled or ridiculed. A place that encouraged a meeting of minds, where open debate blossomed at a time when it was so often silenced.
During this era the shebeen also became a place where gatherings of a political nature were held. No matter how many times these illicit pubs were raided and shut down by the police, they would re-open again. They provided a vital arena for those who had nowhere else to go, a place where they could give voice to their feelings and ideas, and be heard.
The name shebeen comes from a surprisingly un-African source – Ireland. The original Gaelic word is séibín but in both Ireland and Scotland the illicit nature of such an establishment was very much its defining quality.
Today in South Africa the shebeen is, in many instances, an established and thriving institution. In 2004 there was a move by local government to legalise all shebeens and many of them (though not all) complied.
All well and good. But what about those which have not gone through the legalising process? According to police these places are often hotbeds of crime, while social workers claim that shebeens take the breadwinners, and their cash, away from the families that so desperately need them.
According to an article by Esther Lewis on IOL News, the illegal shebeen owners (who were protest in parts of Cape Town this morning) may be unhappy at the recent clampdown, but the wives and mothers of their patrons are celebrating.
To quote:
"Since police have cracked down even harder on shebeens, wives in Masiphumelele and Ocean View say they are happy to have their husbands home over weekends and that the money usually spent on liquor is being brought home instead... several men in the communities would spend almost all of their wages paying their debts at the shebeens, then making more debt immediately”. Because some of the shebeens were shut down, the breadwinners are going home and not making more debt at the shebeens"
(Read the entire article here.)
We all know there are two sides to every coin.
- The illegal shebeen owners need money for their families and do provide a service to the public.
- Those who wish to drink can still go to legalised shebeens (although they may be further apart and more expensive).
- Should the police leave this age-old institution alone and concentrate on actual crimes or will the clampdown mean that crimes in the affected areas will decline?
- Won''t the criminals just meet elsewhere?
- Will family life really be positively affected by the forced closure of the illicit shebeens?
The answers to these and related questions will be a long time coming.
As far as I know some of the local kids from the suburbs still make use of these late-night venues when the local bottlestores are closed. We recommend however that you use the services of a reputable tour operator if you wish to explore the shebeen side of life in South Africa.
Visitors to South Africa can enjoy a township tour in places such as Soweto in Gauteng and Khayelitsha in Cape Town, where ‘shebeen-crawls’ can be included in a day of meeting South Africans where they live, and trying home-brewed beer and local cuisine.
(Image: Joy-Anne Goodenough. Creative Commons License)