BASA: Extended booze ban will bring small brewers to their knees
The Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) says the extension on the alcohol ban will be the death of many small craft brewers.
During his address to the nation on Monday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the extension of level 3 lockdown.
The regulations include the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol.
Ramaphosa justified the continuation of the ban by saying the ban on alcohol sales has cleared up space in hospitals and alleviated some of the pressure on the health care system.
But BASA says the ban has already forced 30% of local breweries to permanently shut their doors, leaving about 165 000 people with no income.
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The organisation’s Nicole Mirkin says the organisation is well aware of the pressure Covid-19 has placed on the healthcare system and the need for urgent interventions to curb the spread of the virus, but this cannot be at the expense of people’s livelihoods.
"Our members, especially small business owners and their employees, now have no way to put food on the table, and care for their loved ones who may also fall ill.
"We are also deeply concerned that the legitimate beer sector will never recover from this extended ban, providing a further boost to those who engaged in the illicit manufacture and trade of alcohol," says Mirkin.
Mirkin says the illicit trading will now be on the rise due to the lockdown.
"Besides its link to criminality, the illicit and unregulated trade and consumption of alcohol poses serious health risks such as blindness, liver damage and even death.
"The recent ban has once again seen an increase in home brewing and unfortunately resulted in the loss of two women’s lives in the Free State last week.”
Basa says it will continue to engage with government on the ban and how the impact on people’s livelihoods can be mitigated.
