'Government gave us no forewarning of booze ban' say liquor associations

South African Liquor Brand owners Association CEO Kurt Moore says they were not consulted before the president's announcement.

The sale and purchase of alcohol will be suspended with immediate effect under an advanced phase of Level 3 lockdown on Sunday 12 July.

Concerns have been raised over the impact of alcohol on trauma admissions since the ban on sales was lifted in June.

The South African Liquor Brand owners Association (Salba), the Beer Association of South Africa (Basa), VinPro, Liquor Traders Association of South Africa (LTASA) and the Liquor Traders Council of South Africa (LTCSA) warned that the restrictions on liquor sales could impact the livelihoods of up to a million people.

Lester Kiewit chats to CEO at South African Liquor Brand owners Association Kurt Moore and asks if they were consulted before the announcement.

No, we were not consulted on the decision the president took yesterday.

Kurt Moore, CEO - South African Liquor Brand owners Association

Hearing the words 'banned with immediate effect' was a shock to Salba and the other bodies.

It spells potential disaster for the industry and job losses loom.

Kurt Moore, CEO - South African Liquor Brand owners Association

He says the industry was not given preparation time on the ground.

Making an announcement like that without forewarning us presents us with a lot of logistical challenges, but yes we are really disappointed with the news.

Kurt Moore, CEO - South African Liquor Brand owners Association

He says they had been engaging with government since 1 June providing the Department of Trade and Industry regular updates from an industry perspective.

We had made a number of commitments and we agreed with government ahead of the reopening of the supply chain on 1 June that we would help to enable a safe environment for the sale of alcohol.

Kurt Moore, CEO - South African Liquor Brand owners Association

He says taverns have abided by the rules.

Last night's news came as a body blow to us.

Kurt Moore, CEO - South African Liquor Brand owners Association

Moore insists the various liquor associations are aware of the impact of alcohol on trauma-related cases in hospitals.

We have reached out to government to try and understand and help where we can to deal with this pandemic.

Kurt Moore, CEO - South African Liquor Brand owners Association

He says receiving the data the president referred to would assist them in making targetted interventions to try and address those problems.

We are still reaching out to government to sit down with us and jointly come up with solutions to this problem.

Kurt Moore, CEO - South African Liquor Brand owners Association

Listen to the interview below:

More from Local

More from Business

More from Politics