Here is what you need to know about the sale of alcohol under level 3 lockdown

Mbombela – Finance, Economic Development and Tourism MEC, Mr Pat Ngomane, would like to emphasise that the sale of alcohol by licensed outlets in the Province – under lockdown Alert Level 3 which kick-in from 01 June 2020 – will be permitted for consumption off the licensed premises only.

This follows the release of the regulations for Alert Level 3 by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, yesterday.

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“Under Alert Level 3, all licensed liquor outlets including shebeens and taverns, will be allowed to sell liquor but only for consumption off the licensed premises. By off-consumption, we mean people will only be allowed to buy liquor to take home to consume at their private residences. Therefore, consumption in premises will be strictly prohibited. I must stress that only licensed outlets – whether licensed to sell for on-consumption or off-consumption – will be allowed to sell liquor but for consumption off the licensed premises only”, explained MEC Ngomane.

In terms of the regulations, the following conditions would apply and strictly monitored:

• The sale of liquor at any licensed premises or through e-commerce delivery is permitted from Monday to Thursday, between 09h00 and 17h00;
• The transportation and distribution of liquor to licensed premises is permitted from 29 May 2020, subject to directions which may be issued by the relevant Cabinet member;
• The consumption of liquor at the place of sale is prohibited;
• The sale of liquor is prohibited on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and on public holidays;
• No special or events liquor licenses may be approved for the duration of the national state of disaster.

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“Level 3 regulations suspend the on-consumption condition for the outlets licensed as such and permit them to sell for off-consumption as well, during lockdown Alert Level 3. Licensees must therefore adhere to the rules and regulations, as well as all safety measures, as provided. I must add that outlets with liquor licenses that expired during the lockdown period will also be permitted to sell, but all those with licenses that expired or lapsed long before the lockdown are prohibited from operating”, added Mr Ngomane.

The offices of the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator (MER) will remain closed until further notice, as the return to operations guidelines are being implemented. In the meantime, enquiries or submission of all documents can be forwarded via email to licensing@mer.org.za.

Licensees and their customers are also reminded that the validity of licenses can be verified free of charge by using the SMS service offered by the MER or via portal on www.meronline.org.za.

Meanwhile, accommodation establishments; namely, hotels, bed and breakfasts, timeshare facilities, resorts and guest houses, will also be allowed to operate, as from 01 June 2020 (under Alert Level 3), but only for the purpose of accommodating:

• Tourists already confined at such facilities;
• Persons for work purposes; and
• Persons in quarantine or isolation.

“Up to now, accommodation establishments were only allowed to accommodate those who were already in those establishments, by time the lockdown was implemented. They were later also allowed to serve as quarantine sites for those who needed to be isolated and those who were performing essential services. As from Monday, 01 June, they will further be allowed to accommodate people for work and business purposes only.

“We are slowly but surely moving towards opening them up unrestricted, once the conditions out there allow. The Minister of Tourism is having continuous engagements with the tourism sector in order to finalise other activities to be allowed during level 3 of the lockdown”, concluded the MEC.