The African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) has welcomed the repeal of a notice to amend the Liquor Licence Act in a bid to extend the operating hours of liquor stores in the Northern Cape during the ruling party’s annual 8 January Statement.
The notice issued by Northern Cape MEC of Economic Development, Maruping Lekwene, allowed for liquor selling outlets to operate on a 24-hour basis for the entire week leading up to the main event.
The league earlier released a statement rebuking the proposal. It says it is against the interest of the public and a total misrepresentation of what ANC stands for.
“We are saying as the Women’s League this should not continue to happen. It’s a bad message that we are sending to society. Therefore we will not allow it, looking at what is happening in our country, the state of gender-based violence and also the statistics, especially in the Northern Cape. They do have an alcohol problem there which affects mostly women,” says the league’s secretary-general Meokgo Matuba.
WATCH RELATED VIDEO BELOW:
