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- The National Liquor Traders has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa and other ministers to ask for a partial lifting of the alcohol sales ban.
- Convenor Lucky Ntimane says the ban is driving members into poverty; they are willing to operate while maintaining Covid-19 safety protocols.
- The ban was implemented two weeks ago, when adjusted Level 4 lockdown restrictions kicked in.
The National Liquor Traders has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa and several ministers to seek a partial lifting of the alcohol sales ban during the Covid-19 lockdown, as well as financial relief for members of the industry who are being driven into poverty.
The letter, written by convenor Lucky Ntimane on 10 July, comes ahead of a National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) meeting on Sunday, where the NCCC will review the Covid-19 lockdown regulations which have been in place for the last two weeks to curb the spread of the disease. In terms of the regulations, the fourth alcohol sales ban was instituted.
Ntimane's letter outlines the challenges liquor traders have faced. Taverners and shebeen permit holders have suffered for more than 20 weeks without being able to trade and with no relief measures from the government. They can't afford the costs of renewing their licences, according to Ntimane.
"As an industry, we are on our knees. We have suffered many months over the last year when our members could not earn their own living," the letter reads.
The industry seeks a R20 000 once off payment for each affected tavern and shebeen permit holder, as well as a two-year moratorium on liquor licence renewals as members are not able to afford these after having lost more than 150 trading days due to bans. Ntimane has also requested that taverns and shebeen permit holders be allowed to sell alcohol on a take-away basis from Monday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00 and that bottle stores be allowed to operate from Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 18:00.
"Economic opportunities by way of being allowed to trade, albeit responsibly, will make the difference between life and death for our members who are staring poverty in the face," Ntimane says.
The industry is prepared to operate while complying with Covid-19 safety protocols.
The National Liquor Traders represents township-based taverns, shebeen permit holders and bottle stores. This is about 39 900 liquor outlets which employ more than 282 000 workers. The businesses are mainly black-owned.
In a separate statement on Sunday, the South African Liquor Brand owners Association (Salba) has called on the government to allow limited alcohol sales.
The association says liquor premises have "increasingly become the target of crime and looting" since the implementation of the sales ban.
"Over the past week, our members have reported crime incidences reported in Pretoria, Boksburg, Durban and Bloemfontein where there was theft of stock," says chairperson Sibani Mngadi.
"While many businesses are affected by the incidents related to political unrest in KwaZulu-Natal, liquor stores are becoming a particular target of mass looting due to high demand for alcoholic beverages as a result of the ban of sales," he says.
Salba wants alcohol sales for home consumption to be allowed from Mondays to Fridays between 09:00 and 18:00. It has also asked for e-commerce and home deliveries for alcohol to be allowed.
