Gauteng lockdown: Province planning to restrict alcohol sales

Premier David Makhura has told his fellow citizens in Gauteng that the government is looking to ‘regulate’ the sales of alcohol in a tougher manner than what’s already in place. The densely populated region has become a hotbed for coronavirus infections during the lockdown, and it is home to the most active cases in South Africa.

How Gauteng’s alcohol restrictions could be tightened

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Makhura hinted that the Gauteng Government was unlikely to ban alcohol completely. Yet they are looking at a number of factors to decide how booze should be served if, or more likely when, the province does implement some stricter lockdown rules. Factors to be considered include:

• The hours of when booze can be sold, affecting when it can also be legally transported in Gauteng.
• What impact tighter liquor laws could have in ‘freeing-up’ local trauma wards.
• It was also mentioned that the decision to restrict alcohol sales must be based on ‘scientific models’.

‘Harder lockdown’ could soon hit GP

Makhura doubled down on these sentiments on Friday, when he made it clear that the issue of ‘regulation’ is now firmly on the table. He’s asked for the National Coronavirus Command Council to help establish some tighter guidelines in the region, but the premier went on to outline what powers were available to him:

“We are looking at what we can do in addition to what the national government can do, to regulate liquor. The issue of the regulation of alcohol is something that is firmly within our power. We cannot ban alcohol, we cannot suspend the sale of it, but the regulation and restriction of alcohol is firmly in our power.”

Gauteng premier David Makhura on possible alcohol restrictions

#GautengCovid19 | Makhura says the province might not have the power to ban the selling of alcohol, however his provincial government has power to regulate the selling of alcohol.

— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) July 2, 2020