'It's like Christmas': Thirsty South Africans are here for the sale of booze

The sale of alcohol is allowed again and South Africans are rejoicing, many tweeting memes and hilarious anecdotes about their excitement.

On Saturday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lifting of the ban on the sale of alcohol under strict Covid-19 safety protocols.

The announcement came as a pleasant surprise for many, especially after the sale of liquor was abruptly halted in July "with immediate effect” after having been resumed for a brief period after an initial ban under the lockdown. Ramaphosa said at the time the decision was due to an increased number of motor accidents and violence which overwhelmed ICU and trauma units in hospitals.

On Monday, co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said licensed liquor establishments would be allowed to host 50 people at a time and must observe safety protocols like social distancing, sanitisation of premises and hygiene.

These are some of the reactions to the return of booze:

'It's been a roller-coaster ride': bottle stores get back to business

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