THIS Wednesday, a wine body will argue in the Western Cape High Court that provinces should be given authority to allow for off-site alcohol sales.
Vinpro’s lawyer, Charles van Breda, said the application seeks to give Premier Alan Winde authority to deviate from regulations to allow the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption. Van Breda said the court should also rule that failure by the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to lift the alcohol ban by the time the case is heard in court, be declared unconstitutional, and the court should lift the ban in the Western Cape with immediate effect.
“Small businesses are sitting with large amounts of debt, continuing expenses , no income and no financial help on the horizon. It is a recipe for disaster for any small business,” she said. “When talking about a loss of income in rand, we are talking about the smaller businesses. Within our value chain, the small independent farmer who supplies the raw ingredients is now sitting without income and additional expense for storage, hoping the crops can still be used when trading opens,” she added.
“The latest ban is cause for celebration when it comes to the illicit alcohol industry, which cost the national fiscus R11.3 billion last year alone. The prohibition of alcohol will not stop South Africans drinking. Instead, consumers will purchase their alcohol from illegal outlets, putting their health and safety at risk,” said Basa chief executive Patricia Pillay.
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