With government expected to announce the easing of lockdown regulations to level 3 next week, the SA Informal Traders Alliance (Saita) and the alcohol industry are pilling on the pressure, lobbying the national command council to also lift the ban on
alcohol and tobacco sales, some of the stringent measures put in place to curb the spread of the virus.
She said more worrying was that government could consult with big businesses in the National Economic Development and Labour Council during their monthly meeting “but yet can’t spare any time to consult with one of the biggest employers, the informal traders”. “Many of our members sell single cigarettes, usually costing about R1 each. Every box sold by the illicit trade is another R20 our members are losing out on, and right now – even R20 can make a difference to the lives of our members – who are living hand to mouth,” said Muller.
The platform, a non-profit organisation which represents thousands of informal traders across the province, called on government to open the economy, including allowing the sale of cigarettes and hot food. Tshikosi said the lockdown, and specifically the cigarette and hot foods bans, were taking a toll on the emotional and financial well-being of informal traders across the country.He added that townships were starting to see an increase in crimes as people “resort to crimes due to hunger and desperation, and even the infiltration of overpriced, substandard illicit goods such as cigarettes which is what we are against as the traders platform”.
“The alcohol industry, therefore, urgently calls on government to reopen the manufacturing, distribution and trade of alcohol during level 3 of the lockdown,” said the industry in a statement this week. SA Breweries vice-president for cooperate affairs, Zoleka Lisa, said the company and its industry partners were proposing the establishment of a working group with government. The group would discuss and jointly develop a modality for the resumption of the sale and trade of alcohol during level 3 of the national lockdown.
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