Restaurant Association ‘concerned’ about illegal sale of alcohol
The Restaurant Association of South Africa (Rasa) says it’s concerned about reports on social media that some restaurants are illegally selling alcohol.
This comes after a number of videos surfaced on social media showing patrons consuming alcohol.
Rasa CEO Wendy Alberts says they are aware of the claims.
“We do see noises on social media with people, whether it is alleged or it is true, claiming that are able to go have alcohol a restaurants and we can’t have any of these rumours.
“We understand the economic impact the regulations have had on our industry and we cannot support any rumours of us, at any stage, breaking the law.
“It’s not of benefit to anyone to work against the regulations.”
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Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a ban on the sale of alcohol as the country fights a surge in Covid-19 infections.
The restaurant industry has been especially hard hit by the suspension, but Alberts says it’s no reason to break the law.
“We’ve had a couple of incidents with the SAPS doing their rounds. I know on the Western Cape there have been a lot of reports where they have been going checking for compliance.
“We’ve encouraged our restaurants to be welcoming of the police to come into their restaurants do their job.”
Alberts says the rumours run the risk of undoing the industry’s progress during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“We worked hard to have the alcohol ban lifted and it’s imperative that we encourage compliance.”
