Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has confirmed that South Africans will not be allowed to purchase alcohol or cigarettes under the country’s new Level 4 restrictions.<\/p>\n
In a presentation on Wednesday evening (29 April), Dlamini-Zuma said that the sale and distribution of liquor is not permitted under any circumstances, except in the instances of businesses exporting products.<\/p>\n
This is in line with the proposed lockdown plan which was presented on Saturday, as alcohol attracts crowds and leads to misbehaviour, Dlamini-Zuma said. The minister said that a ban on alcohol has also freed up hospital beds.<\/p>\n
However, she noted that government has also backtracked on its decision to allow for the sale of cigarettes\u00a0 – and other smoking products such as electronic cigarettes – after it received more than 2,000 complaints from the public and industry stakeholders.<\/p>\n
This is because of the health risks associated with smoking and which could exacerbate the ongoing health crisis, she said.<\/p>\n
Some of the other lifestyle changes announced by the government include:<\/p>\n
Ban on alcohol has led to big drop in crime<\/strong><\/p>\n Police Minister Bheki Cele said that the ban of alcohol has resulted in a major drop in crime levels across the country and opened up hospitals to ‘ do what they’re supposed to do.’<\/p>\n