Restaurant owners ‘strongly against’ possible lockdown extension

With the National Coronavirus Command Council expected to review the modified level 4 lockdown restrictions tomorrow, the Restaurant Association of South Africa (Rasa) said yesterday it was “strongly against” the possibility of an extension of the lockdown.

Level 4 restrictions included the ban of alcohol sales and gatherings, with a curfew from 9pm until 4am.

Rasa chief executive Wendy Alberts said the government did not care the restaurant industry was negatively affected.

“We cannot survive on the small turnover of takeaway foods on offer while we are paying full expenses. It was not financially viable and third-party delivery costs exploited our businesses and [we got] letters of demand for payments of licences not in use,” she said.

She said the association wrote to Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel for the suspension of licence payments, interest and adjustment fees according to usage of space and time over 15 months to issue a review of fees.

Alberts said proposals for a roadhouse concept which included the use of communal takeaway areas and outside seating and eating in public spaces, fell on deaf ears.

“In principle the response was well received and we were awaiting the final approval from the government.”

She added the association reached out to as many departments as it could to make the roadhouse concept a reality.

“Rasa approached the departments of tourism … and the Western Cape premier Alan Winde for support of the roadhouse concept to find a new way of keeping safe in accordance with the regulations and protocols while we support saving lives and livelihoods,” she said.

National Liquor Traders Council (NLT) spokesperson Lucky Ntimane said taverns should at least be allowed to sell for home consumption to stay afloat.

“Our request for R20 000 compensation package for tavern and shebeen owners was ignored. Instead, we were driven further into poverty with the imposition of additional bans,” he said.

Ntimane said liquor outlets had lost almost 150 days of trading since the lockdowns. NLT called upon liquor authorities to waive the fees payable annually for renewal of alcohol outlet trading licences due to extended loss of trading.

“The NLT asked the 36 000 registered taverns be exempted from the payment of annual liquor licence fees of about R5 000 per licence.

“The waiving of the licence fees would amount to about R180 million worth of relief for the struggling businesses that
support much of the townships and rural economy,” Ntimane said.