Liquor outlets must obey the law on Black Friday

With Black Friday sales attracting thousands of shoppers tomorrow, Premier Helen Zille has called on all liquor outlets to remain vigilant in upholding the law and not to sell alcohol to minors.

“We have previously received reports that in the shopping frenzy of Black Friday, liquor retailers were selling alcohol without checking identity documents and breaking the law by allowing under 18s to buy alcohol,” said Premier Zille.

This year, the South African Police Service (SAPS), Western Cape Liquor Authority and City of Cape Town’s law enforcement will be doing spot checks at liquor retailers to ensure that the law is upheld.

Western Cape liquor inspectors have also recently been certified with National Liquor Authority rights, a first for any province in South Africa. This will allow them to inspect major liquor distributors with national liquor licenses. These outlets were previously exempt from inspections by provincial liquor inspectors.

Western Cape Minister of Community Safety, Dan Plato will also be doing spot checks at liquor outlets to ensure that they abide by the law.

“The harms caused by alcohol cost this government billions of rand every year and we do not take the sale of alcohol to minors lightly. When alcohol is cheap and readily available, social problems are exponentially amplified,” said Minister Plato.

A research report published in the South African Medical Journal states: “The combined total tangible and intangible costs of alcohol harm to the economy were estimated at 10 - 12% of the 2009 gross domestic product (GDP). The tangible financial cost of harmful alcohol use alone was estimated at R37.9 billion, or 1.6% of the 2009 GDP.”

While the alcohol industry contributes towards jobs in this country, the abuse of alcohol also costs government tremendously.

The Western Cape Government aims to promote responsible liquor production, distribution, and responsible consumption. Key developments include the recently adopted policy - the Alcohol Harms Reduction (AHR) White Paper - and the AHR Game Changer programme.

A summary of the White Paper can be viewed here.