Liquor Board denies DA claims of slow turnaround times
JOBURG – Democratic Alliance (DA) had accused the Gauteng Liquor Board for not processing liquor license applications timeously and is in effect stifling business but the body refuted the claims and said they adopted the revised turnaround times of 37 working days from the initial 90 days turnaround time.
The body, however, refuted the claims and said they adopted the revised turnaround time of 37 working days from the initial 90-day turnaround time.
Responding to these allegations, Phindile Kunene, director of the media liaison and content development office of the MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development said, “The Gauteng Liquor Board management has adopted the revised turnaround times of 37 working days from the initial 90-day turnaround time for the issuing of a liquor licence.”
In addition, in a written reply to questions at legislature by DA Gauteng shadow MEC for Economic Development, Janet Semple, Gauteng Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile, stated that the department has no outstanding applications older than 90 days.
However, Semple said, “This is, in fact, untrue as I have been approached to assist four business people with applications that have been outstanding for over three years. In this time, the ability to generate income and create employment has been lost.”
She also said she was concerned that Maile insisted that the board has complied with all High Court orders instructing it to issue liquor licences. However, Semple said there were at least two outstanding orders the board had failed to act upon.
“Maile must not be disingenuous about the board’s shortcomings. This kind of attitude will only exacerbate the problem,” Semple said.
She added that it was important that applicants who meet the criteria of the Gauteng Liquor Act receive their licences without delay.
But Kunene refuted these claims and insisted that the office is working on a ‘what comes in goes out basis’. She said, “For example, applications that are received by the head office in April will be placed on the board agenda for consideration and approval the same month that is either on Thursday or Friday of every week.”
Kunene said the licences are typed up within a week after each meeting and the chairperson also signs them within a week.
“This only refers to the applications that are complete and do not require further documentation such as Fire and Health Clearance certificates. It takes two weeks to have licences issued from the date of each meeting,” she said.
Kunene said applications that require valid lease agreements will take much longer for licences to be issued because it takes longer to get the documents from the municipality. “These might take between 37 to 90 days to turn around,” she said.
