6 booze restrictions proposed to govt, policy advisor reveals

The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa (SAAPA SA) has advised the command council to introduce tougher restrictions on booze.

It's reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa could announce tighter regulations on the sale of alcohol when he addresses the nation tonight.

During his last address in June, Ramaphosa said the government was looking at “drastic measures” to curb the abuse of alcohol.

SAAPA SA director Maurice Smithers says the organisation has made several proposals related to the sale of booze in its latest submission to the government.

The alliance proposes that the government implements the following measures:

• Only trade alcohol on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
• Introduce set quantity restrictions per customer
• Prohibit the production of certain sizes of alcohol for beers and wines
• Force the liquor industry to implement a system that keeps track of its stocks
• Raise the legal drinking age
• Require ID documents when purchasing any alcohol and create a digital record for each individual

RELATED: Interest groups propose 5 urgent measures to curb alcohol abuse in SA

Earlier this week, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said that alcohol-related trauma cases are putting a strain on the health system.

He said the issue has been reported to the national coronavirus command council (NCC).

The ban on alcohol sales was lifted last month when Level 3 lockdown regulations came into effect.

Smithers doesn't believe that reinstating the alcohol ban will be a sustainable solution.

However, he has called for stricter regulations governing the alcohol industry.

Should we have another alcohol ban? We're not so sure.

Maurice Smithers, Director - Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance

We don't think that a ban is sustainable, but we definitely do think tighter restrictions are important. That's basically the recommendation that we've made to government in the report that we sent them

Maurice Smithers, Director - Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance

We're suggesting to reduce [trading hours] by one more day... Instead of Monday to Thursday, have it from Tuesday to Thursday.

Maurice Smithers, Director - Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance

We're also suggesting that there should be a limit on how much people can buy.

Maurice Smithers, Director - Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance

Reduce the size of containers to 500ml for beers and 750ml on wine and spirits.

Maurice Smithers, Director - Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance

Listen to the in-depth discussion on Weekend Breakfast with Sara-Jayne King:

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