Source: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-11-02-cops-shut-down-…
Gauteng police shut down 15 illegal and non-compliant liquor outlets across the province at the weekend.
Source: https://ewn.co.za/2020/10/27/safety-mec-fritz-calls-on-wc-residents-to-r…
Between 27 March and the end of last week, the Western Cape Liquor Authority had investigated 196 incidents of liquor vendors reportedly contravening the National Disaster Management Act’s regulations and the Western Cape Liquor Act.
Source: https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/442888/cape-town-wants-to-incr…
The Western Cape government is considering stricter rules around the sale of liquor as the province continues to combat the abuse of alcohol and its knock-on effects.
Source: https://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/399463/bars-have-duty-to-monitor-ris…
The Western Cape Liquor Authority (WCLA) says bars and pubs have the responsibility to act against drunk and disorderly conduct that may lead to Covid-19 non-compliance.
Source: https://risingsunoverport.co.za/92274/alcohol-industry-cuts-off-supplies…
The industry has seen the devastating impact of the ban on the value chain. It has put in place responsible practices and forms of behaviour to trade responsibly to ensure that they protect the livelihoods of many thousands of people across the industry’s value chain.
Source: https://germistoncitynews.co.za/266724/four-arrested-for-selling-liquor-…
Four suspects were arrested for selling liquor without a licence during an operation conducted in Makause, Marathon and Delport informal settlements on October 10.
Source:https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/call-to-amend-western-cape-liquor-a…
Cape Town – People tasked with the provincial Safety Plan have asked the Department of Community Safety to amend the provincial Liquor Act as a part of its plan to halve the murder rate in the province over the next 10 years.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz said the amendments were further aligned with Premier Alan Winde’s “smart interventions”, aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm.
“During the lockdown, my department monitored the number of homicides which demonstrated that at the beginning of the lockdown, the murder rate had been halved,” he said.
He said as the country moved into alert levels 4 and 3 the murder figures increased, but then decreased slightly as the ban on alcohol and the curfew were reinstated.
Among the key proposed amendments were altering the Western Cape Liquor Authority’s liquor licence fees, permanently confiscating seized liquor after the payment of an admission of guilt fine, and inserting an objective test within the act to determine whether alcohol has been sold to an unlicensed outlet or individual.
Some included obliging licence holders to take reasonable measures to determine that a client is of legal drinking age and aligning the act with the Liquor Products Act to ensure a uniform definition of “Illicit liquor”.
Fritz said he had noted that between March 27 and August 28, the Western Cape Liquor Authority had conducted 129 investigations into contraventions of the National Disaster Risk Management Act Regulations.
“Of the 129 investigations, 50 section 71 matters were placed on the Liquor Licensing Tribunal’s case roll, of which 40 licences were suspended and 10 applications were dismissed.”
Chief executive of the Beer Association of SA Patricia Pillay said following recent reports of alcohol outlets breaching the level 2 lockdown regulations, the association had committed itself to identifying establishments found breaking the law and cutting off their supply.
Pillay said beer manufacturers would request the details from municipalities and provincial liquor authorities of businesses whose licences had been revoked and would stop supplying alcohol to them.
Source:https://ewn.co.za/2020/08/12/cape-town-restaurants-disappointed-as-alcohol-ban-matter-postponed
The applicants want all eateries with a valid liquor licence to be allowed to serve alcohol for on-site consumption.
CAPE TOWN – A group of Cape Town restaurants set to challenge the national lockdown regulations in court are disappointed that their case will only be heard at the end of the month.
The matter was set down for Tuesday but was postponed for two weeks.
The applicants want all eateries with a valid liquor licence to be allowed to serve alcohol for on-site consumption.
Owner at Chef’s Warehouse Liam Tomlin said the aim of the court application was to prevent a jobs bloodbath and a spate of permanent restaurant closures in South Africa.
“Every single restaurant that has a licence relies on that money; that’s why we have those licences to sell alcohol.”
In court papers, minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma argues alcohol sales are banned to avoid over burdening hospital trauma units and save resources for the fight against COVID-19.
However, the applicants claim there’s no evidence that consumption at licenced restaurants contributes to the problem and the business models of most eateries depend on alcohol sales.
The applicants ask the court to at least allow licenced restaurants in the western cape to sell alcohol.
Last week, the Western Cape government said there was sufficient health capacity to deal with trauma admissions and COVID-19 patients.
In court papers the minister said the regulations were meant to apply generally and protect all South Africans fairly and equally across the country.Back to top
Source:https://ewn.co.za/2020/08/11/ct-restaurants-no-evidence-of-onsite-alcohol-use-adding-to-trauma-cases
CAPE TOWN – Cape Town restaurants will need to wait until the end of the month to challenge COVID-19 lockdown regulations in court.
The matter set down for Tuesday but has been postponed for two weeks.
The applicants want all eateries with a valid liquor licence to be allowed to serve alcohol for on-site consumption.
After the initial alcohol ban was lifted, it’s estimated about half the more than 34,000 trauma admissions to public hospitals across the country per week were linked to alcohol consumption.
However, the applicants argue there’s no evidence that consumption at licenced restaurants contributes to the overburdening of trauma units.
Owner at Chef’s Warehouse Liam Tomlin said: “Most of our guests will enjoy a bottle of wine or about three or four during a dining period. So, I really don’t believe the problems that the government are saying are related to our industry at all.”
The minister argues that allowing the sale of specific types of liquor in identified industries would not provide the effective relief the healthcare system needs during a surge in COVID-19 cases.
She adds that even though the application refers specifically to lifting the liquor ban in licensed restaurants, taverns, bars, shebeens and hotels will also be allowed to sell alcohol in unlimited quantities, as many of those establishments also serve a “meal”.Back to top
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has disputed a claim by a group of restaurants that people are not frequenting restaurants solely because no alcohol can be sold with meals.
She said restaurant groups have not considered that there are risks associated with frequenting public places during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In her 103-page affidavit submitted to the Western Cape High Court, opposing the application led by Cape Town-based Chefs Warehouse restaurants, Dlamini-Zuma said the restriction on on-site consumption of alcohol was rational and lawful.
“It is denied that the eating-out experience would ‘be so absurd and unpleasant that nobody would actually want to do it’. The statement assumes, as a fact, that all people that frequent restaurants consume alcohol or go out for the alcohol, not the food,” Dlamini-Zuma said.
She said it was patronising for the group of restaurants to assume that everyone who visits restaurants wants alcohol, given that only 31% of people in the country consume alcohol.
“I do not dispute that a number of people do enjoy alcohol with meals in normal circumstances, but we are not living in normal circumstances. There are unprecedented times, which require all South Africans to adapt until we overcome Covid-19,” she told the court.
Temporary measure
Dlamini-Zuma reiterated the argument she made in other court challenges against the alcohol ban: That the prohibition on the sale of alcohol was taken as a temporary measure – until the rate of infections slows down.
“There is no desire on the part of government to leave this prohibition in place for longer than it is regarded as necessary,” she said.
The group has asked the court for an order that “all restaurants in possession of a valid liquor licence” should be allowed to serve alcohol with meals to their patrons on-site. This would be subject to the conditions of their liquor licence and all other applicable laws, they said.
The group is also contesting the physical distancing regulations.
It says the requirement to have 1.5m between all patrons should “exclude patrons voluntarily deciding to sit at the same table, sharing it”.
Dlamini-Zuma, however, said physical distancing remains the basic tool used to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Restaurants also argued that they should be allowed to sell wine and beer, with the prohibition only for hard liquor.
Dlamini-Zuma said the government did consider imposing less restrictive measures.
“Making allowance for the sale of specific types of liquor, such as wines and spirits, even if this was implementable, in identified industries, would not provide the effective relief on the healthcare system that is required at a time of a huge surge in Covid-19 cases.
“The fact is that such a measure would be difficult to enforce.”
In response to the arguments of the economic consequences of the alcohol ban, Dlamini-Zuma said the government will re-evaluate the ban regularly “to also limit hardships facing the economy and individual livelihoods during this period”. Back to top
