PROPOSED amendments to the Liquor Act have recently been brought to light which may drive some manufacturers, suppliers and retailers of liquor to drink themselves.
In what can only be considered a collective clutching of straws by those responsible for the amendments, the bill is calling for the restriction of advertisement of alcoholic beverages, prohibitions of sponsorship and promotion associated with alcohol. Now, that doesn’t seem so bad, does it?
However, and here’s where the straw clutching comes into play, it is proposed that liability for manufacturers and suppliers be introduced to ensure that they take responsibility not to supply their products to unlicensed traders. In respect to retailers, in line with the agreed norms and standards, traders should not serve liquor products to already intoxicated persons. Should that happen and the intoxicated person is involved in a motor vehicle accident or crime related to substance abuse, the manufacturer, distributor and trader should bear liability for any harm or damages.
To reduce the harmful use of alcohol, it is also important to regulate the availability of alcohol. One of the strategies to reduce the availability of liquor, according to the proposed amendments, includes the need to regulate days and hours when liquor sales should be permitted.
Liquor authorities and municipalities will be expected to control access to liquor by restricting times for sales of liquor and sales of liquor in zoned areas.
In another proffered solution, it was suggested that the national minimum legal age at which alcohol can be purchased and consumed should be raised from eighteen (18) to twenty one (21) years. The licensees, manager or any other person dispensing liquor at the premises must take steps to ensure verification of the age of any person who appears to be under the age of 21 by requesting an identity document, passport or driver’s license in order to verify the person’s age before any liquor may be sold or supplied to them.
In order to standardise licensing requirements, it is proposed that liquor premises be located at least five hundred meters (500m) away from schools, places of worship; recreation facilities, rehabilitation or treatment centres, residential areas and public institutions. This is hardly realistic in most instances.
The proposed Liquor Act is available to view in greater detail at www.gov.za, and interested persons may submit written comments on the proposed National Liquor Policy within 30 calendar days from the date of publication to:Director-General, Department of Trade and Industry; Private Bag X84; Pretoria; 0001. Alternatively, documents can be hand delivered to: 77 Meintjies Street; Block B, 1st Floor; Sunnyside; Pretoria; Fax No : 012- 394 6573; Email : NRampheleathedti.gov.za.
(Source: Government Gazette, 20 May 2015)
