Cape Town - Reacting to a further two-week ban on alcohol sales countrywide, the Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) will be submitting an urgent Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to obtain data on how alcohol sales impacted the decision to extend the fourth alcohol ban.
This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced lockdown level 4 restrictions would remain in place - which included the prohibition of alcohol sales - for a further two weeks amid the rising numbers of Covid-19 infections in the country’s third wave.
Basa said they would be submitting their urgent PAIA application to the National Covid Command Council (NCCC) to obtain the data and evidence.
“The latest alcohol ban, which has been in place since June 28, has already served a devastating blow to the alcohol industry, putting an estimated 4603 jobs at risk as well as potential loss of R5.1 billion in taxes and excise duties. In all our discussions with government, it has been acknowledged that the main driver of infections is large gatherings and the failure to observe mask wearing and social distancing protocols.
“We have also not been provided with the data showing the link between alcohol and increased hospital admissions, despite requesting this from government on numerous occasions. We have therefore decided to submit our PAIA application in order to understand the rationale for the extension of the current ban when it is clear that thousands more jobs will be shed and billions more will be lost to the national fiscus,” said Basa.
The association further added that they were yet to see the industry being supported by the Covid-19 TERS funding promised to industries affected by the lockdown.
Meanwhile alcohol industry partners, Vinpro, said they would forge forward with their court action after lodging an urgent interim interdict application last month, to lift the blanket ban on alcohol sales in the province.
Vinpro spokesperson, Wanda Augustyn said although the liquor ban is intended to ensure that hospitals have the capacity to treat those who become ill, according to the government, the pandemic affects provinces differently at any given point. ’’Capacity requirements will differ across the country. Despite this, the government has never differentiated between provinces...instead, a nationwide ban has been imposed and again lifted without regard for the circumstances in respective provinces.
“Government’s failure to both adequately prepare the health facilities for possible dangerous additional waves and to administer an adequate efficient vaccination rollout, cannot hold our wine and tourism industry at ransom any longer. (We) will continue our quest in court,” said Augustyn.
Vinpro managing director, Rico Basson, said many wine businesses are at the edge of a cliff and the livelihoods of thousands of employees are being endangered in the process.
South African Breweries vice president for Corporate Affairs, Zoleka Lisa said they supported sustainable measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19, and ease the pressure placed on the public health system, but not the blanket ban.
’’We are disappointed with the extension of the fourth alcohol ban. As an industry, we want government to engage with the industry. We want to review the science and explore solutions together with government.’’
Cape Times