- Title: South African gin distiller improvises sanitisers to plug shortages
- Date: 24th March 2020
- Summary: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (MARCH 23, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PIENAAR & SON DISTILLERY OWNER, ANDRE PIENAAR POURING OUT ETHANOL SMALL BOTTLES OF SANITIZER BEING PACKED SANITIZER BOTTLE WRITTEN (English): "70% Alcohol - Hazardous" MORE OF SMALL SANITIZER BOTTLES (SOUNDBITE) (English) PIENAAR & SON DISTILLERY OWNER, ANDRE PIENAAR, SAYING: "Basically it is a mixture of our gin and cane spirit at 70% alcohol. It is very effective at sanitizing both hands and surfaces. But we take it to 70% to leave the 10% there if you wanted to add a couple of drops of some essential oils or whatever you wanna do." SIGN ON WALL WRITTEN (English): "Pienaar & Son Hand Sanitizer - 250 Rands per litre" (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAPE TOWN RESIDENT, THANDO FAKU, SAYING: "It is difficult. All the stores are probably sold out, well, the ones that I've been to, you can't find any on the street and I do just by luck have a bottle at home but that's just the last of it so…" MAN SPRAYING HIS HANDS WITH SANITIZER (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAPE TOWN RESIDENT, ROBERT MATWANE, SAYING: "When I listen over the news people say, hey, we come in stores and they are empty in the sanitizes section and all that, yes." VARIOUS OF EMPTY SANITIZER SHELVES PEOPLE EATING PEOPLE STANDING / TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PIENAAR & SON DISTILLERY OWNER, ANDRE PIENAAR, SAYING: "I do feel a sense of responsibility to help the community. I have access to alcohol and alcohol can help people so I'm gonna do it as long as we can. But I would like if this blows over that people will still remember us for damn good booze you can drink not spray on your hands." PIENAAR WORKING INSIDE HIS DISTILLERY sstem.scripts.15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PIENAAR & SON DISTILLERY OWNER, ANDRE PIENAAR, SAYING: "So it's this weird reality now that we're in where me selling alcohol for hand sanitizers is like putting food on the table for our family. So it's quite a weird space to be in. I don't know where that puts us next week, next month, next year but it's kinda like we'll see when we get there." BOXES OF HAND SANITIZER VODKA BOTTLES BOTTLES WITH SPIRITS ON DISTILLERY TABLE MORE OF VODKA BOTTLES VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SANITIZING THEIR HANDS POSTER ON TABLE WRITTEN (English): "Please use sanitizers before entering the building" EMPTY RESTAURANT TABLES
- Embargoed: 7th April 2020 10:10
- Keywords: distillery hand sanitizer shortags of sanitiser and masks waste alcohol
- Location: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
- City: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001C6EW4EV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: When panic over the coronavirus spurred a run on hand sanitiser in Cape Town, gin maker Andre Pienaar realised there was something he could do with all the waste alcohol his small distillery produces.
He had 140 litres of the 70 percent ethanol waste - called "gin heads" in the trade - just sitting around, so he posted on social media that anyone who needed some could have it for free to turn into the hand wash at home.
"Basically it is a mixture of our gin and cane spirit at 70% alcohol. It is very effective at sanitizing both hands and surfaces. But we take it to 70% to leave the 10% there if you wanted to add a couple of drops of some essential oils or whatever you wanna do," he told Reuters at his craft distillery situated in the seaside city's central business district.
Across Africa, dwindling supplies of sanitiser and surgical masks could prove a boon for entrepreneurs seeking to plug shortages. Amateur chemists in Nigeria and Kenya are mixing up hand wash, while enterprising tailors in Rwanda are sewing their own masks.
Health officials warn that wearing masks in public won't protect you from the virus, and say sanitiser only works if it's more than 60 percent alcohol - and even then soap and water are better.
In South Africa, pure alcohol manufacturers have pledged to donate 40,000 litres for the production of hand and surface sanitizers.
"It is difficult. All the stores are probably sold out, well, the ones that I've been to, you can't find any on the street and I do just by luck have a bottle at home but that's just the last of it," said Thando Faku who lives in Cape Town.
"I do feel a sense of responsibility to help the community. I have access to alcohol and alcohol can help people so I'm gonna do it as long as we can. But I would like if this blows over that people will still remember us for damn good booze you can drink, not spray on your hands," he said.
But the harsh economic realities of the pandemic mean that Andre has had to start selling his sanitizer to make ends meet.
"So it's quite a weird space to be in. I don't know where that puts us next week, next month, next year but it's kinda like we'll see when we get there," he added.
The continent of 1.3 billion has recorded only around 1,100 cases in 43 countries, with 39 deaths, a fraction of the more than 305,000 people infected and more than 13,000 deaths worldwide. But there are concerns that Africa's creaky health infrastructure could be overrun as the virus spreads.
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