According to the South African business technology website on December 27, internal sources said that the president will soon meet with cabinet ministers to study raising the closure level to level 2 and plans to impose a strict ban on the sale of alcohol products.
Image from: Ministry of Commerce
In response to this claim, the South African alcohol industry has taken the initiative to speak out and strongly urge the government to make a careful decision not to implement a sales ban unless it is absolutely necessary.
Both the South African Wine Merchants Federation and the Brewers Association appealed to the government, saying that the sales ban has not proven to be a sustainable and effective method, and that such an act would bring a series of serious consequences such as unemployment, loss of tax revenue, illegal trade and looting of alcohol, and that they would prefer to support the government"s measures such as curfews and restrictions on mass gatherings than the ban.
The South African Alcohol Marketing Association says it wants to allow off-the-spot sales of alcohol, allowing people to drink it at home, and warns that a total ban on alcohol sales would put 250,000 jobs at risk.
