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- The Liquor Merchants Formation called on the government to consider off-site alcohol sales as the country navigates the second wave.
- The group warned that a total closure of the liquor sales would end the tavern market and the 250,000 direct jobs in the sector.
- Tutwa Consulting Senior Associate Azwimpheleli Langalanga said sectors most affected by the initial shutdown, such as hospitality, will suffer.
The liquor merchant formation has asked the government to consider changes to the stricter lockdown conditions articulated in the national state of disaster, as the country’s Covid-19 cases officially passed the million mark on Sunday.
When the nationwide lockdown was first introduced in May, industries including liquor and tobacco came to a standstill, putting unbearable pressure on the South African economy as movements and gatherings were also restricted or prohibited.
Under level three of the national blockade, the trade in liquor and tobacco products was allowed to continue with some restrictions. The tobacco ban was legally challenged earlier this month, where the Western Cape Superior Court ruled that the ban was unconstitutional and unnecessary.
In a statement released Sunday, the Liquor Merchant Training proposed that the government’s National Coronavirus Command Council consider a measured curfew that restricts unnecessary movement while protecting tourism and alcohol restrictions that provide for sales outside of the facilities to allow consumption in the home.
Liquor Merchant Training Coordinator Lucky Ntimane said it was disappointing to learn that many South Africans have not followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s warnings to limit public gatherings amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We continue to ask our liquor merchants and the general public to observe Covid-19 regulations in regards to the use of face masks at all times, to disinfect and wash our hands regularly, and to observe social distancing,” said Ntimane. .
Ntimane urged that liquor dealers be allowed to continue selling alcohol off-premises as the country navigates the second wave, warning that a total closure of liquor sales would spell the end of the tavern market and 250 000 direct jobs linked to the sector.
Tutwa Consulting Senior Associate Azwimpheleli Langalanga said sectors most affected by the initial shutdown, such as hospitality, will suffer from the travel limits and movement limits imposed in the December period.
“If I were a government, I would only adopt measures that have a direct impact on the economy as a last resort. My focus would be more on behavioral changes among citizens to remind people of public health,” Langalanga said.
Langalanga said that South Africa could not afford to chain the economy and that the government should focus on making citizens understand that the virus is here to stay for a long time while the economy gets back on track.
