Basa heads to court over ‘irrational’ booze bans
The Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) is heading to court over the coronavirus restrictions.
It wants the High Court to set aside the three previous booze bans in July and December last year and June this year - and declare them irrational and invalid.
"The Beer Association of South Africa has launched a review application in the High Court in Pretoria for the previous alcohol bans imposed by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown in and during March 2020, in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act and/or the principle of legality," says CEO of Basa Patricia Pillay.
"The aim is to have these bans declared irrational, invalid and set aside. Basa will argue that the decisions to impose these bans were, inter alia, irrational."
The association estimates around R42.2 billion was lost during the previous hard lockdown where the industry was prohibited from selling alcohol.
"By 11 January 2021, 30% of local breweries were forced to shut their doors permanently and 165 000 people had already lost their jobs. The bans also served as a major boost to the illicit alcohol industry which grew to be worth more than R20.5 billion in 2020.
"Another alcohol ban over the coming festive season, a time when we expect some recovery for the tourism and hospitality sector, will serve as the final nail in the coffin for thousands of businesses/citizens who just barely survived the previous bans."
Basa says any further alcohol bans will result in a jobs bloodbath and more revenue loss.
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