Dollar Table Café and Cocktail Lounge has been technically operating under a valid licence, according to Malebo Malebo director of compliance and law enforcement for the Gauteng Liquor Licencing Unit.
This statement comes after numerous statements by the media stating that Dollar Table had no operating licence.
“The problem is that they had a restaurant licence from Soi but they were running the place as a night club. The place does not resemble a restaurant at all,” Malebo said.
This licence has, however, been cancelled meaning, the lounge cannot open for business.
“Dollar Table has been operating under a restaurant licence from Soi which owned a restaurant before it became Dollar Table,” he said and indicated that Soi had requested the licence to be cancelled “…they sent me their Cipro documents and I asked them for an affidavit but I have all the required documents to cancel the licence,” informed Malebo.
Malebo added that when a business is in the process of transferring a licence from one person to the other, business should continue as usual because there is a valid licence to trade.
“The Dollar Table owner came to me and I told him the owners are cancelling therefore, he has the right to put forward a new application of his own because we cannot transfer a licence that has been cancelled,” Malebo continued. “This fellow [Dollar Table owner] is not telling the truth because he says he applied three years ago but our turn-around is not more than 45 days.”
Malebo said the Liquor Board checks licences around the area often but the problem is that some businesses have restaurant licences that they use for clubs.
“We cannot just shut down a place because of [licence] violation…we try to talk to them, warn them and revoking is the last resort…,”he continued.
Going forward therefore, if the Dollar Table owner wishes to continue trading he must apply for a new licence.
“When he applies, it is an open application to which people can object. He must advertise in the Government Gazette and two newspapers and also leave a notice on the building, stating their intentions,” concluded Malebo.
The infamous bar where Thulani Popoyi was found hacked to death on 5 October has had its premises cleaned by staffers on 16 October just two days after Popoyi’s burial.
Family members of the deceased are outraged as are residents at the possibility of it reopening.
Do you think the Dollar Table owner should be granted a liquor licence of his own?
