Cape Town - Liquor traders operating in townships have given the Western Cape Liquor Authority (WCLA) 24 hours to withdraw Section 64 notices and review fines, failing which they said they would shut down all white-owned big retailers in their areas.
The traders marched to the Liquor Authority over its “racist liquor laws”. They accused it of using unreasonable laws to shut down black and coloured-owned businesses in townships.
The WCLA recently served notices to 116 licensed premises where the liquor licence was not capable of automatic renewal and the licensee required to apply for the renewal of the licence.
These licences, the authority said, could not be automatically renewed because the licensee had been the subject of a report about failure to comply with the conditions of their licence, the provisions of Section 64 of the Western Cape Liquor Act, or a compliance notice during the period July last year to June this year.
United Liquor Traders co-ordinator Thulani Pike said of the 116 businesses served Section 64 notices, 114 were black and coloured-owned businesses.
“For the past six years, liquor traders have been engaging the Western Cape Government under the Western Cape Liquor Traders to seek working relationships and assist in self-regulation and good trading practice, but in vain.
“Instead, it is hellbent on closing down coloured and black people’s businesses with licences while ensuring there are no new entries, using unjust and racist apartheid laws like zoning schemes.
“Already they have clamped down on 16 outlets in Mitchells Plain that did not have correct zoning. These businesses were trading with a valid licence issued before 2012 when the licence did not require zoning.”
Pike said for a long time they had witnessed “racist” Liquor Board inspectors, police and law enforcement harassing and abusing them while big retailers were flocking to townships to profit off liquor sales.
WCLA CEO Simion George said Section 64 was not a new law but an existing provision in the Western Cape Liquor Act. It could not be implemented to date due to inadequate capacity.
In the 2021/22 financial year, six liquor licences were revoked in the province by the Liquor Licensing Tribunal due to incidents reported to or detected by inspectors.
“Industry organisations cannot fulfil the state’s role to protect societal interest. Allowing such would amount to an abdication of its regulatory duties,” said George.