KN AND RH • Sibani Mngadi, alcohol industry spokesperson writes: The alcohol industry supports the statement by the Government calling on society to join hands in the fight against alcohol abuse. It appreciates the opportunity granted by the Government to continue trading as from 18 August. The South African alcohol industry includes but is not limited to the National Liquor Traders Council, South African Liquor Brandowners Association (SALBA), the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA), Vinpro, the National Liquor Traders Council, and manufacturers. The incidents of alcohol misuse reported on the first weekend as the country moved to Level 2 included the unfortunate loss of life of traffic officers involved in a fatal car crash. We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the irresponsible actions that led to these tragic and unnecessary deaths of three traffic officers from the Tshwane Metro. We will continue our undertaking to scale up and implement programmes to promote responsible consumption of alcohol. As part of the industry’s push for a social compact with all stakeholders we are continuing to develop programmes in partnership with the relevant Government entities, and we should get to the implementation stage soon. The alcohol industry supports the Government’s call for law-enforcement agencies to be firm in dealing with the violation of any law of the country, including: • the 10pm curfew • limiting the number of people that may gather at one site to 50 • no drinking and driving The projects proposed by the industry include the establishment of Alcohol Evidence Assessment Centres where blood concentration levels can be tested, and the results made available immediately to support a successful prosecution. We call on the traders and consumers alike to abide by all the lockdown rules and make sure that the drinking occasions do not contribute to the spread of infections and unnecessarily burden the health system. The alcohol industry has a collective responsibility to protect our livelihoods as part of the alcohol value chain. Consumers, equally, have a responsibility to behave appropriately and not expose themselves and others to unnecessary harm and potential infections.