That's worrying bottlers including wine and spirits manufacturer Distell Group, SA's biggest wine exporter.
The prohibition, one of the strictest in the world, was introduced March 27 under a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus. While many consumers stocked up - some showing off their bounty by circulating drinking challenges on social media - the extension of the shutdown earlier this month has led some tipplers to try home brewing as their supplies deplete.
Others have taken more extreme measures of sneaking across closed borders to neighboring countries for beer.
It's also led to more direct criminal activity, with Police Minister Bheki Cele condemning the burglary and looting of more than a dozen liquor stores.
And law enforcers have also intercepted trucks carrying alcohol, including vehicles owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA found leaving depots with goods worth millions of rand. The company said it had permission to transport a portion of its inventory.
What's causing Distell anxiety is that, in addition to the moratorium on sales, shipments overseas have been banned, crimping exports to key markets like Europe, the US and China. South Africa's ranking as the world's ninth-biggest wine exporter is in jeopardy, CEO Richard Rushton said.
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