Tebogo Msimanga |
The Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) has issued an urgent call to President Cyril Ramaphosa to lift the ban on alcohol from the 16th of January.
BASA said this is imperative to ensure the survival of small business owners of craft breweries, who now find themselves on the brink of closure due to the third alcohol ban. President Ramaphosa announced alcohol ban on 28th December 2020.
BASA added that it remains aware of the severity of the crisis as the nation battle with Covid-19.
CEO of the Craft Brewers Association of South Africa (CBASA), Wendy Pienaar said that the third ban on alcohol sales has had a devastating impact on the craft brewing industry. “It is now no longer a question of keeping businesses open – it has become a question of whether business owners, their employees and families will have any food to eat this month”.
Pienaar said the situation faced by small business owners and craft brewers is dire. “The last two alcohol bans had a devastating impact on the beer industry, with an estimated 7 400 jobs lost, R14.2 billion in lost sales revenue and more than a R7.4 billion loss in taxes and excise duties.”
BASA is calling on President Ramaphosa to consider the plight of craft brewers by not extending the ban on alcohol beyond 15 January 2021.
