( 4 minutes read)
· Gauteng Liquor Forum, a body which represents more than 20
000 taverns and shebeens in Gauteng in South Africa is agitated over
the closure of the liquor production, which is costing them dearly.
· The Liquor forum asserted last week that it would take the
presidency to the Constitutional Court to test the validity of
regulations banning the sale of alcohol if President Cyril Ramaphosa
did not lift the ban.
· The forum said it would not, at the moment, continue with its
contemplated legal action to test the constitutional validity of the
lockdown regulations, provided the state tells whether a decision has
been made, or is likely to be made, to extend the lockdown. The
lockdown is currently set to end on April 30.
Gauteng Liquor Forum, a body which represents more than 20 000 taverns
and shebeens in Gauteng in South Africa is agitated over the closure
of the liquor production, which is costing them dearly. Yet, they say
that they will not proceed with their contemplated court action to
force the government to let them sell alcohol. However, they want the
state to tell them whether a decision has been made or is likely to be
made to extend the nationwide lockdown.
The Liquor forum asserted last week that it would take the
presidency to the Constitutional Court to test the validity of
regulations banning the sale of alcohol if President Cyril Ramaphosa
did not lift the ban.
However, the government’s counsel in his reply to the forum’s initial
letter of demand says that the sale of alcohol is “not an essential
service” and could derail the government’s efforts to curb the spread
of the coronavirus. The president said liquor consumption would
lead to increased crimes that land people in hospitals, and the
country could not afford to have its emergency rooms full as it deals
with Covid-19 cases.
On Saturday lawyers for the forum accused the office of the state
attorney of misinterpreting its arguments. The group was not arguing
for on-site consumption, it said, but for “off-consumption sales where
the consumers will enjoy their beverages responsibly and in the
comfort of their homes.” This was necessary, it said, because many of
its members do not qualify for state relief under the Tourism Relief
Fund.
The forum said it would not, at the moment, continue with its
contemplated legal action to test the constitutional validity of the
lockdown regulations, provided the state tells whether a decision has
been made, or is likely to be made, to extend the lockdown. The
lockdown is currently set to end on April 30. It has also wanted to
know how long the likely extension would last, and whether the
government was prepared to relax the current conditions for qualifying
for assistance to include unregistered shebeens and shisanyamas.
