President Cyril Ramaphosa made several promises in his annual state of the nation address about how to revive and reconstruct the SA economy. Among these was the need to accelerate local production of goods, which will not only create employment but also make SA exports globally competitive.
The consumer goods sector has supported and implemented every measure put forward by the government in response to the outbreak and impact of Covid-19. We even offered to help with the vaccine rollout and were snubbed! The sector is engaging the government to re-examine its regulatory regime to create an environment that considers both the health and the socio-economic effects of its containment decisions. Despite these engagements, it is baffling that the government continues to impose unjustifiable decisions. We therefore call on the government to implement parity and allow retail liquor traders to operate as optimally as possible.