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These are not sustainable interventions, he said, as they have a major effect on the economy and contribute to unemployment in vulnerable communities.
“That is why I agree with Prime Minister Winde that the elimination of alcohol needs to be accompanied by smart interventions, such as the proposed amendments, which aim to reduce alcohol-related harm,” he said.
According to Fritz, key amendments proposed to alter the Western Cape Liquor Authority (WLCA) regulations include the following:
- Definitively confiscate the seized liquor after payment of a fine for admission of guilt.
- Insert an objective test within the law to determine if alcohol has been sold to an unlicensed establishment / individual.
- Require licensees to take reasonable steps to determine that a customer is of legal drinking age.
- Align the law with the Liquor Products Law to ensure a uniform definition of “illicit liquor”.
- Provide a public participation process to modify existing licenses.
- Expand the powers of the section 24 committee to hear enforcement matters.
- Expand the capacity and availability of the Appeals Court / Authority.
- Allow the minister of community security to prescribe additional and relevant information through regulations to be considered by the Liquor Licensing Court or the president.
- Ensure that outlets keep a record of all liquor sales and prescribe the required amount of detail.
- Limit the delivery of more than the prescribed limit of liquor by inserting a requirement to produce the “written consent of the president.”
Fritz said the proposed amendments further sought to allow unlicensed outlets to be licensed and adhere to regulations such as zoning and business hours.
“In accordance with the legislative process, the proposed amendments will be presented to the provincial cabinet which will analyze and debate the content. From then on, it will be prepared by legal services and will be published in the Provincial Gazette to receive contributions from the public for 21 days, ”he said.
The amendment comes after the Southern Africa Alcohol Policy Alliance (Saapa) called for the liquor amendment bill to be sped up, along with the zero limit for driving while intoxicated.
Times Select reported that Saapa director Maurice Smithers said: “The government itself recognizes that there is a problem with the way alcohol is consumed, and now it is critical. We are puzzled why they don’t take the tools they already have and solve this problem. “
If signed into law, the alcoholic beverages bill that was first published in 2016 will see the legal drinking age increased to 21. It will also ban all alcohol sales and advertising on public platforms.
