No, government is not pushing for a third alcohol ban
Opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA) says it has been ‘reliably informed’ that there is a strong lobby within the ANC to reintroduce another ban on alcohol in South Africa.
The party said that it has seen a push by the Gauteng Health department to claim that hospitals are “under pressure” due to alcohol-related trauma and taking up hospital beds, despite declining Covid infections and deaths.
The DA said that a number of ministers have also condemned the reintroduction of alcohol sales in recent days.
It cited comments by Transport minister Fikile Mbalula who recently said that laws need to be “reviewed” after a number of alleged alcohol-related car crashes. He has also said that “people are out of control in terms of alcohol”.
“Any attempt by the ANC to use another alcohol ban as a battering ram to drive home political ideology will be met with strong resistance by the DA,” said DA MP, Dean Macpherson.
“There are too many jobs that have been lost already due to ANC infighting over alcohol and the unwillingness of the president to stare down his detractors.”
Macpherson said it is critical that President Ramaphosa reassures South Africans that he will not consider any political pressure by the ANC or these Ministers in his cabinet with respect to reinstating another alcohol ban.
“The ANC should rather put its efforts towards reviving the stalled Liquor Amendment Bill which has been stuck in cabinet for the last four years.
“While not perfect, the bill will allow MPs to work towards dealing with issues like access to liquor by minors and provinces being able to levy taxes on sales to fund cost recovery models,” it said.
No truth to the rumours
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) spokesperson Lungi Mtshali told BusinessTech that there is no truth to the rumour that government is looking to reintroduce an alcohol ban.
He said that the presidency had not briefed Cogta about any planned legislative changes and that there have been no discussions that he was aware of.
“Everyone has seen the effect this week of what happens when alcohol is not being used responsibly. However, we understand the concerns around a ban and the impact that is has had on industry.”
Mtshali said it was more likely that the Democratic Alliance was trying to get a ‘response’ from the government as the alcohol ban is an emotive topic.
Drunk driving law
Transport minister Fikile Mbalula says that government plans to introduce new legislation around drinking and driving by December 2020.
In a media briefing on 25 August, Mbalula said that the Road Traffic Amendment Bill was introduced in parliament in June 2020, with the legislation effectively introducing a 0% alcohol limit for all motorists.
The minister said that under the amended act, no one will be able to drive a vehicle, or occupy the driver’s seat while the engine is running, with any concentration of alcohol in their system.
“Research conducted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in collaboration with the South African Medical Research Council and the University of South Africa shows that driver alcohol intoxication accounts for 27.1% of fatal crashes in the country.”
“This is estimated to cost the economy R18.2 billion annually,” Mbalula said.
Impact of another ban
The Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) has called on traders and consumers to sell and consume alcohol safely and responsibly over fears of another ban.
Basa said that part of its role is safeguarding the 414,886 livelihoods the beer industry supports while also prioritising lives during the Covid-19 pandemic
The group said that the beer industry, along with the broader alcohol industry, is implementing a number of programmes to ensure the responsible trade of alcohol and to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
This includes providing training and guidelines to liquor outlets on social distancing and how to trade responsibly and safely.
Basa said it has also developed click-and-collect platforms where customers can place orders via SMS and then pick up their alcohol purchases at a designated time for consumption at home, in order to prevent overcrowding at taverns.
Under South Africa’s level 2 lockdown regulations, the sale of liquor by licensed premises for off-consumption, is permitted from 09h00 to 17h00, from Mondays to Thursdays.
Licensed premises may also sell for on-site consumption, subject to strict adherence to the curfew.
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