South Africa beer manufacturers appeal to lift alcohol sales ban

Johannesburg, S.A. | Xinhua | The Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) on Wednesday appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa to lift the blanket ban on alcohol sales to save the livelihoods of some people.

The BASA, which comprises the Craft Brewers Association, Heineken South Africa and South African Breweries, said they understand the dangers presented by COVID-19 but are worried that beer operators are about to close their businesses.

“It is heartbreaking to receive calls from brewers who are now in danger of losing everything. The third ban is devastating to craft brewers, who are small business owners who work within small margins, always putting the welfare of their staff before their own,” said Wendy Pienaar, CEO of the Craft Brewers Association of South Africa (CBASA).

“It is now no longer a question of keeping businesses open — it has become a question of whether business owners, their employees and families will have any food to eat this month,” she added.

“To make things worse, these craft brewers are the very same people who stepped up during the hard lockdown last year by producing soup and stew in their brew houses from donated vegetables to feed over two million hungry people, while also manufacturing sanitizer to help fight COVID-19,” she said.

Ramaphosa announced the third alcohol ban during lockdown in December to combat the spread of COVID-19, prohibiting the sale of alcohol from retail outlets and the on-site consumption of alcohol. He said excessive alcohol consumption was adding pressure on the already strained health system by driving up the number of trauma cases in hospitals.

The BASA said an estimated 7,400 jobs had been lost in the first two bans, as well as R14.2 billion (about 947 million U.S. dollars) in sales revenue and more than a R7.4 billion in taxes and duties.

The organization called on the government to maintain the curfew but allow beer sales under stringent conditions.

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Xinhua