Pretoria - Members of the Tshwane Concerned Liquor Traders Association have already started taking measures to ensure they do not give the government reason to ban the sale of alcohol during the festive season.
President of the association, Oupa Mthombeni, said the liquor traders had started a campaign to go around townships like Mamelodi, where there were many taverns and pubs to convince owners and staff to get vaccinated.
They also invited the president of the South African National Taxi Council Phillips Taaibosch on this campaign, as they sought to work with the taxi industry to forge a partnership that will see drunk drivers not permitted to get behind the steering wheel. He said they sought to draft and sign a memorandum of understanding that will realise this dream because they all agreed that the government was frustrated by drunken driving and the fatalities and losses to life it caused.
“We have learnt so much from the previous festive season where the sale of alcohol was allowed and then banned again, and then allowed early this year. We have endured so much and we do not want that anymore.
“That is why we have started going out to encourage fellow liquor traders and their staff to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. We also encourage them to entice their customers to also get vaccinated.
“We are also dealing with the issue of gender-based violence and creating awareness to help spread the message and discourage people who consume alcohol, to resort to violence to resolve domestic disputes or express themselves.
“In fact, one of our biggest goals is to blacklist domestic abusers in the taverns and pubs. We want those who are problematic to be known by our fellow tavern owners and then denied the sale of alcohol so that they know that alcohol is not an excuse to abuse.
“And anybody who needs help must seek professional help,” said Mthombeni.
Mthombeni said they could also convince the government not to ban the sale of alcohol if they showed that they were part of the solution, and they took initiative to prevent alcohol-related problems that the government is faced with, such as gender-based violence, drunken-driving and non-compliance with Covid-19 safety protocols.
Pretoria News