The restriction on the sale of alcohol will be partially lifted, but no such luck for smokers as Dlamini-Zuma has her way.
President Cyril Ramaphosa may have announced some relief for South Africans last night, but Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma can look forward to a protracted war, and even a public bashing by the tobacco industry, as the ban on the sale of cigarettes is to be kept.
In terms of the Level 3 Alert, all businesses and other entities may open, but under strict health protocols and observation of social distancing. But employees able to work from home should do so. Government is facing a court challenge from the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association , which wants the ban reversed.The High Court in Pretoria recently ruled that government must hand over records of its decision and reasons, if any, for the promulgation of Resolution 27 of Level 4, which banned the sale of the tobacco and liquor.Kotze said there was no doubt Ramaphosa was under pressure from the business sector and the Democratic Alliance to open the economy.
Nobody will be allowed to consume liquor at point of sale and the ban of alcohol sales at taverns, restaurants and clubs will continue. Kotze said this was a “classic compromise because some members of the Cabinet wanted both alcohol and cigarette sales to remain banned”.
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