In the light of the recent court ruling which could force more than 1 600 liquor outlets in KwaZulu-Natal to close because they were near schools or places of worship, business owners said they felt the ruling had not been properly thought through.
In a test case, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Mahendra Chetty determined that all liquor licence holders, including those which had licences under the old, less stringent 1989 Liquor Act, had to comply with new provisions to address the effect of alcohol on communities and children.
The owner of Glenwood’s Stella Discount Liquor, Deon Barkhuizen, 26, whose outlet is right next to the Umbilo Congregational Church, said the ruling would do a lot of harm.
“We are thinking about 1 600 liquor stores that face shutting down. But it is not just that number. You have (on average) four people working in each store and that means massive job losses,” he said.
“When people are unemployed, crime will go up.”
Barkhuizen, who has owned the store for two and a half years, said it was opened 45 years ago, before the church was built next to it.
“What if I comply and there is no church next to me, then after some time a church pops up? These days churches pop up at every corner.”
Barkhuizen said a blanket decision was out of line because there were outlets that complied and ensured that no schoolchildren entered their premises.
KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Traders Association chairman Kenson Naidoo said he understood the motive behind the act and the recent ruling, but he had a problem with the inclusion of outlets that were already licensed.
“We also need to consider the businesses that were there before the schools and places of churches,” he said.
“This will affect us and our employees. We have people who have been working for us for many years and were settled. Where are they going to go?”
Owners of other liquor outlets around Durban that were close to schools and places of worship, whom The Mercury spoke to, did not respond to queries or said they did not want to talk about the ruling and the act.
The Mercury