Liquor board introduces automated licence applications

The Gauteng Liquor Board has embarked on a massive-scale project of the automation of all licence applications, renewals and transfers of ownership especially when the family member licensee passes on.
Addressing the media on the unveiling of the automation project, Zimele Technologies’ senior project manager, Sam Mandebvu, the implementing agency for the liquor board, said the automation should come as a great relief to the various stakeholders especially those who seek to open up businesses in the liquor trading space.
He said the automation will allow for faster processing of applications, timely uploading of all documents required and a step-by-step guide on all the documents and how and when to upload which can be done in under 10 minutes if everything required is available.
“If all the requirements are not available at the time of the application, the automation system will allow and take the person through a guide of all the documents needed and once obtained, can be uploaded and off the application goes for approval.
“The further beauty of the system is that it allows the client to continuously monitor the progress and stage of the application within the offices of the liquor board and if at any given time, there is a need for additional documents or information, it will prompt the applicant on his or her phone,” Mandebvu said.
One of the latest requirements in the automated system is that applicants will now be required to shoot and send a pin-point location of the proposed business premises which also can be accessed by interested community members and alert them that such a liquor trading outlet was on its way to their locality and they can also make inputs or objections directly from their phones to the liquor board.

Mandebvu, who said the new systems comes to effect on April 1, also indicated the automated system will be able to pick whether the licence is fake or genuine as it will go through all the stages of the application system.
One other element is that the community, especially in Alexandra, can also check on rampant overnight pop-up liquor traders that mushroom in their locality with a simple location pin that can tell them if there is a liquor trader or not in that locality, Mandebvu told Alex News.

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