The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance South Africa (SAAPA SA) has called for an immediate halt on the sale of alcohol at petrol station forecourt shops.<\/p>\n
The lobby group’s ire has been specifically directed at BP, which is the first fuel retailer granted a liquor licence in South Africa.<\/p>\n
In June 2021, BP in partnership with Pick n Pay, announced plans to sell wine through its Pick n Pay Express forecourt convenience stores. The Pick n Pay Express store at BP Radiokop on Johannesburg’s the Westrand was the first to offer wine on its shelves, with a planned rollout to other BP sites expected in the coming months.<\/p>\n
BP has also indicated that it plans to allow door-to-door wine deliveries through its partnership with food delivery apps.<\/p>\n
However, SAAPA SA said that allowing petrol stations to sell alcohol in South Africa is problematic – pointing to the newly-adopted Liquor Policy of 2016 which recommends that premises attached to petrol stations should not be awarded liquor licences.<\/p>\n
The long-awaited Liquor Amendment Bill of 2016 also specifically outlaws the granting of licences to such premises, the group said.<\/p>\n
“We have called on all Provincial Liquor Authorities to implement an immediate moratorium on the awarding of all such licenses,” said SAAPA SA director Maurice Smithers.<\/p>\n
“So the failure by the national Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) to fast-track what were deemed by cabinet to be important and urgent amendments to the law has created the space for provinces to decide for themselves whether to award such licences.”<\/p>\n
Smithers said that there is a real risk that allowing petrol stations to sell alcohol is also going to lead to an increase in drunk driving.<\/p>\n
“It will serve to undermine the efforts of the Department of Transport to reduce alcohol-related traffic incidents through the Road Traffic Amendment Bill, which is currently being considered by parliament.”<\/p>\n