EFF 'will hold Cyril Ramaphosa responsible' for deaths caused by lifting of booze ban

The EFF has slammed the resumption of alcohol sales after the move to lockdown level 3 saw many citizens standing in snaking lines outside liquor stores on Monday.

Licensed liquor outlets across the country opened their doors for the first time in two months to allow South Africans to stock up.

In a statement, the party said South Africans should be “mindful of the dangers that are inherent with alcohol consumption” and what it could do to the country's “already dilapidated health-care system” that was subsequently weakened by the spread of Covid-19.

The party said the lifting of the ban on alcohol sales was  “profit-driven and does not consider the sanctity of human life”.

“The impact of alcohol abuse reaches far beyond economic costs; instead, the negative economic consequences of alcohol consumption affect the material welfare of society as a whole,” said the EFF.

“To sell alcohol which is a proven factor in social disobedience and disorder would put a strain on the law-enforcement agencies, health-care infrastructure and negatively impact the health of consumers as it diminishes the strength of one’s immune system.”

Citing official reports from the SA Police Service, the EFF said the ban on alcohol sales contributed to a decrease in crimes such as rape,  attempted murder and robbery, among others.

“The reduced overall violence as reported by crime statistics goes hand in hand with reductions in violent deaths since the Covid-19 lockdown and alcohol sales ban.”

The party threatened to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa responsible for the inevitable burden that will be placed on the health-care system and law enforcement agencies by lifting the ban.

“We will hold Ramaphosa accountable for the deaths of people due to trauma units filled with cases of alcohol-inspired conflicts and we will hold him responsible for the general disorder which will result in the spread of the coronavirus,” said the EFF. “We will oppose the decision of a government that has abandoned is responsibility to protect the nation because we cannot be accomplice in the deliberate genocide orchestrated by the capitalists.”