The Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) say while they acknowledge the severity of the COVID-19 second wave and the immense pressure on the healthcare system, they do not agree with the blanket alcohol ban announced by the President on Monday night.
The video below is reporting that alcohol sale and distribution is prohibited:
Basa CEO Patricia Pillay says the previous two bans had a devastating impact on the beer industry with 7 400 job losses, R14.2 billion lost in sales revenues and 30% of breweries being forced to shut their doors.
She says government also lost 7.4% in taxes and excise duties that could have been used in the fight against COVID-19.
“This third ban will do untold economic damage to the 415 000 livelihoods the sector supports. There is much that the industry and government can do to encourage moderate responsible consumption and to penalise those who break the rules.”
“Basa believes an alcohol ban will do more harm than good. We will therefore continue to engage with government on what needs to be done to save lives and livelihoods.”
In the video below, Basa laments the alcohol ban, saying it will cost jobs and increase illicit sales:
Meanwhile, the South Africa Liquor Brand Association (SALBA) has also expressed concern over the total shutdown of liquor sales, saying the ban is an opportunity for illegal alcohol trade to go ahead.
SALBA’s spokesperson Sibani Mngadi says, “It has been proven that during level 5 and 4 illegal traders, syndicates started selling and that is the area we are concerned about. We would have wished that they [government] would have given limited opportunity for people to purchase liquor legally.”
