SA and alcohol: Time to put a cork in it?
The two-month ban on the sale of liquor brought SA’s alcohol sector to its knees. But some form of regulation does seem necessary, given the cost of alcohol to society
25 June 2020 - 06:00
SA’s two-month ban on the sale of alcohol spelt ruin for Zandile Madzena, owner of a licensed tavern in Finetown, south of Joburg. With the shuttering of her shop, she lost her means of supporting herself, her unemployed adult daughter and her late sister’s two children.
Relaxed restrictions on liquor sales, in place since June, have not made things any easier. These permit the sale of alcohol from 9am-5pm on Monday to Thursday, but that’s when Madzena’s customers are at work. It means she now sells a few bottles of beer four days a week — a far cry from the busy weekend trade before lockdown...
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