Liquor forum awaits Ramaphosa's response on booze ban before revealing next move

The Gauteng Liquor Forum says it will wait for a response from President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday afternoon before revealing its next move.

The forum, representing 20,000 small businesses in Gauteng, had asked Ramaphosa to relax restrictions on the sale and distribution of alcohol, which would allow its members to trade. It initially gave Ramaphosa a deadline of Wednesday to respond.

Ramaphosa, however, asked for an extension until Friday to fully respond.

Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Thursday there would be no change in regulations which prevented the transportation of alcohol until the end of April.

“We are stressing the prohibition of the transportation of liquor. The only alcohol that is allowed to be transported is that used for our sanitisers. Liquor that you drink is not allowed to be exported in the same way that it is not allowed to be sold,” she said.

The forum's lawyer, Eric Mabuza, said, before noon on Friday, that it would be premature to respond to Dlamini-Zuma's comments while awaiting Ramaphosa's response.

“It would be jumping the gun. The forum will outline its position after receiving a response from the president,” Mabuza said.