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The Western Cape government is considering stricter rules on the sale of liquor, as the province continues to combat alcohol abuse and its side effects.
Prime Minister Alan Winde told the Western Cape legislature on Thursday (October 22) that the Western Cape has “a deadly relationship with alcohol that must be urgently addressed.”
“Data from our health department showed that when alcohol was banned during the Hard Lockdown and subsequent restrictions, trauma cases in our hospitals dropped dramatically,” he said.
“As soon as the sale of alcohol was allowed again, the number of trauma cases increased by almost the same percentage. Causation is as clear as day. “
However, Winde said the country cannot ban alcohol indefinitely; In addition to the elimination of rights, there would be negative consequences on job creation, especially in the poorest rural areas.
Instead, he said the Western Cape Government will propose major amendments to the Western Cape Liquor Act, and that these changes will be “expedited as an urgent priority.”
“As part of these amendments, I can announce that we have now put ‘per unit-of-alcohol’ prices firmly on the table for your consideration, ”he said.
“This will make the purchase of alcoholic beverages with higher percentages of alcohol more expensive; an approach that evidence suggests may be effective in preventing binge drinking. “
Winde said the province will also consider stricter times for the sale of alcohol, even after the expiration of the regulations of the National State of Disaster.
“This stricter approach must be accompanied by incentives for liquor stores that do follow the rules, he said.
“It also requires that we make it less burdensome for unlicensed vendors to comply with the rules, so that we can eradicate the illegal sale of alcohol in our communities. We must have the courage to do the work with alcohol. “
More changes
Winde’s comment comes after Western Cape Community Security Minister Albert Fritz said his provincial department plans to do amendments to the Western Cape Liquor Law.
Fritz said his department is tasked with amending the law as part of its plan to cut the murder rate in the province in half over the next 10 years. The amendments are more aligned with Prime Minister Winde’s Smart Interventions aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm (ARH), he said.
Fritz said the province is looking to introduce the following changes:
- Ensure that outlets keep a record of all liquor sales and prescribe the required measure of detail;
- Permanently confiscate the seized liquor upon payment of a fine for admission of guilt;
- Require licensees to take reasonable steps to determine that a customer is of legal drinking age;
- Insert an objective test within the Act to determine if alcohol has been sold to an unlicensed establishment / individual;
- 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.
“In accordance with the legislative process, the proposed amendments will be presented to the provincial cabinet that will analyze and debate their content.
“Later, it will be prepared by the legal services and will be published in the Provincial Bulletin to receive contributions from the public for a period of 21 days. Then, the bill will be sent to the Provincial Parliament for debate and finalization, ”said Fritz.
Read: Government Planning ‘Provisional’ Driver’s License for South Africa
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