Public meeting called to discuss Birch Acres tavern, bottle store

A public meeting where the issues around a tavern and bottle store on Maraboe Road in Birch Acres will be discussed will be held on February 11 at the NG Church on the same street.

According to ward councillor Tracey Lourenco, a meeting has been called among all stakeholders and the MMC for community safety Pheladi Mmoko.

The meeting aims to address issues of public disturbance and city by-laws concerning liquor establishments being within 500m of a school or place of worship.

This comes after Maraboe Road residents and other officials attempted to escalate two petitions containing more than 500 signatures to have the said facilities’ liquor licences revoked the past two years.

Lourenco said: “We’ve handed over two petitions the past two years to the provincial legislature, and according to our sources, they are three years behind with petitions, which is totally unacceptable.

“Secondly, the by-laws are not being adhered to. Residents are suffering, relationships are suffering and children are suffering. This is a very serious matter.”

She said she had even been to the city manager and liquor board to request copies of the liquor licences.

“I’ve pulled all my resources to inspect the issue, including several emails being sent to multiple departments, calling on the metro police and disaster and emergency services to enforce by-laws, as well as the city planners to inspect the building.”

The issue has been taken up by multiple stakeholders, including DA Member of Parliament Mike Waters, and Refiloe Nt’sekhe, DA Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), in an attempt to escalate the matter to be addressed.

Waters has also sent a letter to the chairperson of the Gauteng Liquor Board, Fhedzisani Pandelani, in December 2019 , disputing the liquor licences granted to the said establishments and calling for the licences to be revoked.

The meeting will start at 7pm at the NG Church at 26 Maraboe Road (entrance on Grasuil Street).