Alcohol industry supports police action after weekend club raid

South African Liquor Brandowners Association (SALBA) chairperson Sibani Mngadi says the alcohol industry is in full support of the authorities doing their work after some clubs were bust for contravening the Disaster Management Act.

This follows the raid and closure of Blackdoor Lifestyle Lounge in Sandton, Johannesburg by Police Minister Bheki Cele along with the SAPS and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department officers in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The venue was found to not be abiding by Covid-19 restrictions relating to the curfew, social distancing and the wearing of masks.

In a statement on Monday, Mngadi said the industry had agreed with the authorities to stop servicing and supplying businesses with alcohol if they were caught breaking the law.

“The alcohol industry firmly supports the enforcement of the Covid-19 regulations. If establishments breaking the law lose their licence, collectively we have agreed that we will immediately stop servicing and supplying them.”

Mngadi said Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the government were there to ensure the protection of the public despite the devastating impact of the ban on the industry’s value chain.

“We are committed to continuing to work closely with the government and traders to ensure compliance with the gazetted provisions.

“These rules include making sure that outlets do not allow in patrons at more than 50% of capacity. They need to insist on wearing of face masks and to obey the stated trading hours,” he said.

Mngadi also urged consumers to call the hotline for traders and customers to report any breach of the regulations and also the Consumer Goods Council hotline.

“The tip-offs will be reported to the SAPS who will investigate and individuals who are found to be breaking the law will be prosecuted.”

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“The manufacturers are promoting the hotline number on their websites and other platforms, and enhancing responsible messaging campaigns.”

He further call on the traders and consumers to abide by the lockdown rules and make sure drinking occasions do not contribute to the spread of infections and cause an unnecessary burden on the health system.

Meanwhile, the National Liquor Traders Council (NLTC) has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa, requesting the Disaster Management Act regulations pertaining to the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption be removed, citing financial losses and forced job cuts.

In a letter to the president dated 23 October, the NLTC as well as the Liquor Traders Association of South Africa (LTASA) asked that the sale of liquor for off-site consumption return to the pre-lockdown trading hours and days.

Under lockdown level 1, the sale of alcohol at retail outlets for home consumption is permitted from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm.

Outlets across the country which sell booze for home consumption may not do so at weekends.

These regulations have impacted township based taverns and bottle stores as well as independently owned retail liquor traders throughout South Africa, according to NLTC and LTASA.

Despite welcoming the move to level 1, which brought about the relaxing of regulations connected to the sale of liquor, the council in the letter told Ramaphosa that the industry still faced a number of issues.

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