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Alcohol. Image: iStock / Gallo Images
- South African Breweries (SAB) has attacked the prohibition of alcohol, saying the government has unfairly criminalized the industry and is discriminating against its workers and their families.
- The SAB says it would ‘consider all options and seek all possible alternatives to protect the lives and livelihoods of those who depend on it’
- It says it supports more than a million livelihoods along its value chain.
South African Breweries (SAB) launched a strong attack on alcohol prohibition, saying on Tuesday that the government has unfairly criminalized the industry and would “consider all options” to protect the livelihoods of those who depend on it.
The company said in a statement that it had heard an initial call from President Cyril Ramaphosa to form a social pact with industry players and social partners to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, especially among consumers who “unfortunately, have not been behaved responsibly. “
“A strong belief of ours, which must be reiterated to those consumers who choose to behave irresponsibly with our products, is that our products are not for you.”
SAB, a division of AB Inbev, the world’s largest brewer, said thousands of its employees proposed interventions “that if implemented in conjunction with other social measures, would support the goal of flattening the curve.”
“However, as an organization, we respectfully disagree with the alcohol ban as announced yesterday, which was carried out with minimal consultation,” he said.
“Our industry supports more than a million livelihoods along our value chain, in agriculture, retail, manufacturing, logistics and many SMEs. [small, medium and micro enterprises] whose livelihoods are at stake due to the suspension of the alcohol trade. ”
On Monday, Ramaphosa, while acknowledging that the alcoholic beverage industry is a major employer and a major contributor to SA’s economy, announced that the sale of alcohol at the point of sale and the consumption of alcohol on site will not be allowed .
He said that reckless behavior due to alcohol intoxication has contributed to an increase in infections and that alcohol-related accidents and violence are putting pressure on hospitals and healthcare workers.
On Sunday, South Africa surpassed the one million mark for confirmed coronavirus cases. About 27,000 South Africans are known to have died of Covid-19 and more than 50,000 new cases have been reported since Christmas Eve.
The SAB said Tuesday that it disagreed with the sector being “continually criminalized and singled out as the most important cause of the recent surge in cases.”
“Our industry, our colleagues and our families cannot be discriminated against. We consider this not only unfair, but it ignores the more than 125 years of effort and dedication that we have delivered together,” he said.
“In light of the announcement, we at SAB will consider all options and pursue all possible alternatives to protect the lives and livelihoods that depend on us, in order to continue to operate responsibly and generate the economic momentum that is so desperately needed. for our country. now. ”
* Compiled by Ahmed Areff
