Kwatsaduza – President Cyril Ramaphosa lifted the ban on alcohol sales on Monday evening as part of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
The decision to lift the ban has brought much relief to business owners, as well as consumers.
Owner of the Secret Garden Tavern Thulo Molefe expressed his opinion.
“Banning alcohol might have had a positive impact on the pandemic but businesses have suffered immensely.
“Thousands of breadwinners and all employees and employers of liquor traders have been affected.
“Some of us had to cancel policies and missed payments on our debts, resulting in more interests and being blacklisted.
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“For my employees it’s very sad because they have families to take care of and rent and debts to pay and they are living on the little we give them to survive,” he said.
In addition, he stated that government and breweries needed to work together for possible solutions.
“Planning ahead is crucial to avoid job losses.
“Instead of closing, why not allow people to sell as takeaways instead of sit-ins or create a funding scheme so that struggling businesses would then be assisted?
“Scientifically it’s not proven that alcohol increases the number of infections, so why should thousands of responsible families suffer because of the negligence of irresponsible individuals who don’t respect the law?
“The government should deal with those individuals and let us continue working for our families,” he added.
He explained that alcohol consumers are not the only ones who fail to obey the law.
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“People in general are problematic as can be seen by how many people attend funerals and don’t comply with Covid-19 regulations.
“I therefore think it is not fair to solely blame those who consume alcohol.”
Another local business owner, Nombuyiselo Mabena, said she is looking forward to operating again.
“I’m happy with the decision to lift the ban as our livelihoods have been greatly affected.
“Some of us are dependent on the business, so if it cannot operate that means no income.
“So far business has been slow but I am hoping it picks up again,” she said.
She urged consumers to behave responsibly and adhere to Covid-19 rules and regulations.
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