Cape Town - Police and tourism ministers have identified an urgent need to simplify the interpretation and implementation of the regulations after the gazetting of the Covid-19 disaster management regulations.
Police Minister Bheki Cele and Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane on Saturday met in Gauteng with the police and tourism management and metro police chiefs, in response to queries and the need for clarification from various industries and stakeholders on the regulations.
The regulations included the announcement of new legislation that saw the sale of alcohol in shebeens, restaurants and pubs stop at 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and be allowed from 9am to 1pm on Sundays and public holidays.
Cele said restaurants, hotels and grocery stores with licences to sell liquor must stop selling liquor as per the time restrictions, but may operate beyond those hours to sell and/or serve food with no liquor being sold.
He said the condition with staying open after the 6pm and 1pm deadlines was that there could be a maximum of 50 people on site, including the staff.
“On-consumption establishments selling liquor only, such as taverns, may not continue doing business after the hours indicated,” Cele said.
However, some tavern owners in townships were allegedly arrested in places like Strand, while a tavern in Mowbray a few metres away from the local police station was open during the restricted hours. Western Cape police did not respond to the inquiry.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz has also called on on-consumption and off-consumption liquor vendors to adhere to the promulgation of the Government Gazette - No 43107, regulations issued in terms of section 27 (2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002.
Fritz said no event or temporary liquor licence applications for trading on dates that fell within the time period to which the state of disaster had been declared, would be accepted.
He said that such applications for dates that fell outside of the time period would still be accepted, but would only be considered once the state of disaster has lapsed.
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