The South African Liquor Brand Owners Association (Salba) said that hundreds of stores across the country would not be able to resume trading on Monday.
South Africans are once again allowed to buy booze for off-site consumption between Monday and Thursday, while on-site consumption at bars, pubs, and restaurants is also permitted until 8 pm.
However, the industry was counting the cost of four successive bans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the devastation caused by this month’s looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng that left more than 300 alcohol retailers and outlets plundered, damaged, and burnt.
The association’s chairperson, Sibani Mngadi: “Unfortunately the president couldn’t give details in terms of what support he’s going to offer, whether people can claim for all the damages or not and how that is going to play out, especially the vandalized section of the business, which is almost 332 outlets. Those then lose the opportunity to open because they have to work on renovating and improving their security. We are making an effort to help retailers.”
The associations Kurt Moore added: “The lifting of the restrictions certainly helps us as an industry get back to business and help making our contributions to the economy. We’d certainly like to engage with the government to find ways to address some of the concerns we have about trading over the weekend.”
-EWN
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