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By Thobeka Ngema 
2h ago
Durban – ALMOST 10 people were arrested and various fines issued when the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) visited businesses in downtown Durban yesterday.
MEC Ravi Pillay, together with officials from the Metropolitan Police, SAPS, eThekwini Township Departments, Internal Affairs, KZN Liquor Authority and other stakeholders checked whether Disaster Management Act regulations were being met and validity of the commercial or commercial licenses of liquors.
The team visited shops, taverns, bars, restaurants and lounges near the beach along Dr Pixley Kaseme Street (west) and nearby streets.
The bars and lounges visited were poorly ventilated, lack of social distancing, were full of capacity, and both customers and employees were not wearing face masks. This led to the issuance of warnings and fines.
Managers and owners also received information about the risks that Covid-19 posed in those settings. The MEC also encouraged them to have better spacing and ventilation.
The first arrests occurred at the ZM supermarket, where two foreigners who did not present their documents were arrested.
Skin lightening creams were also removed from the shelves because they were illegal in South Africa.
The man behind the counter, who claimed not to be the owner, was also fined 1,000 rand for trading without a license.
The store was closed and he was also arrested for employing undocumented aliens.
Two other people from another store were also arrested for being undocumented foreign nationals and their employer was also arrested for employing them.
Pillay also visited the Cosmetic Bag unisex salon, where she found that staff and customers were breaking the rules.
Customers and staff were not wearing their masks, there was no social distancing, it was overcrowded with poor ventilation.
The manager was unable to answer many of the questions that were asked. He had no idea if the company had a license, but he also said that there was a completed customer registry, but that he could not present it.
An attempt was made to contact the owner without success.
Pillay said they were targeting areas throughout the province.
On Wednesday they will be in Pietermaritzburg. The teams would carry out investigations, issue notices and, if necessary, close deals and make arrests.
“Internal Affairs is issuing notices, and the liquor authority is issuing notices. In some cases, there are fines for pleading, but the liquor authority will be closely watching the possibility of suspending or withdrawing the license or not renewing it, “said Pillay.
“Until we have those kinds of consequences, we are not going to change human behavior and that is what this exercise is about.”
KZN Liquor Authority Acting Chief Executive Officer Bheki Radebe said they were happy with the way many companies behaved, especially when it came to the lives of their clients, but others did not deliver.
“What we are really encouraging is that they close deals on time. As business owners, we also encourage you to follow regulations and think about your customers. We want there to be disinfectants, people have to wear masks and make sure it’s not full, “said Radebe.
Daily News
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