Liquor traders urged not to chase profit over safety of their customers: NLTA

The National Liquor Traders Association (NLTA) has urged liquor traders not to chase profit at the expense of patrons’ safety and responsible trading.

The association has reacted to the news that 21 young people died at Enyobeni tavern at Scenery Park in the Eastern Cape.

Most of the deceased are believed to be under age.

National Liquor Traders Association convener, Lucky Ntimane says the owner of this tavern seems to have broken the rules of trading.

“Liquor traders should not put profits before the lives of our people. They should at all times follow the license regulations as it is important to run our businesses following the law. If we run our businesses in a responsible and law-abiding way, we should be able to run our businesses in a successful way.”

The council has described it as unacceptable, a business putting profitable interests before the lives of young people.

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Police Minister, Bheki Cele, says teenagers, between the ages of 13 and 17, were killed in the early hours of Sunday morning at Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park. Investigations are underway into the possible cause of the tragedy.

The NTLC’s Spokesperson Lucky Ntimane explains, “We are saddened by what happened in the EC and East London in particular, to talk about a 13-year-old and a tavern in one sentence, we didn’t think we had to do this in our lifetime. It is very terrible what happened there. We are saying it is a massacre because someone’s actions caused the death of those black, young lives, as it were. It was wholly preventable but someone put profits before the lives of our people and it is not acceptable.”