EFF: Tavern owners trying to murder black people with anti-booze-ban court case
The party says the Gauteng Liquor Forum's call to allow alcohol sales again will only hurt the poor, and it is assembling a legal team to fight them.
Members of the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) party join a party protest against the national power utility Eskom, in Johannesburg, South Africa, 28 February 2020. Picture: EPA-EFE/KIM LUDBROOK
Many South Africans have taken to social media to let President Cyril Ramaphosa know they’re against the Gauteng Liquor Forum’s fight for shebeens and taverns to sell alcohol amid the nationwide lockdown.
According to a letter, the Gauteng Liquor Forum (GLF) is a non-profit organisation of stakeholders made up of associations of mostly township-based shebeens and taverns, representing about 20,000 micro and small businesses around Gauteng.
These member associations operate mainly in the townships and predominantly support township-based business owners, the vast majority of whom are tavern owners, liquor outlets and shebeen owners located in Gauteng, reads the letter.
It has argued that the lockdown extension to 30 April would “most likely” ruin their businesses.
“It is also notable that the entire framework for disaster management is not subject to any parliamentary scrutiny and the risk for abuse of power is manifest.
“The total ban on the selling of alcohol is unreasonable and it has no rational connection to the mischief which is sought to be prevented,” reads the letter.
They want shebeens to operate between 9am and 6pm on weekdays, and close at 1pm on Sundays and public holidays
“Unless we receive the written undertaking from the honourable president by no later than 12pm on Tuesday, April 14 2020, our clients will have no option but to approach court on an urgent basis for appropriate relief,” it said.
The hashtag #SignThePetitionSA has been trending all morning, with South Africans voicing their frustrations with the GLF for calling on government to relax alcohol restrictions.
The Economic Freedom Fighters released a statement saying the GLF’s call was tantamount to “conspiring for the mass murder of the poor, in particular, black people”.
“It is an indisputable fact that alcohol abuse is at the centre of socially destructive behaviour. It affects the cognitive ability of individuals and results in poor decision making and violence. This has been proven by the decrease in violent crimes and violent behaviour in general. To continue to the sale of alcohol under the conditions of a lockdown will lead to an overburdened healthcare system, overwhelmed law enforcement agencies and generally a broad disregard of lockdown regulations inspired by drunkards across communities,” it said in a statement.
The party vowed to gather its own “powerful” legal team to oppose any court action by any liquor forum to lift the ban on alcohol sales, further calling on government to oppose the relaxation of alcohol restrictions.
(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)
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