15 May 2013 Gauteng drops ludicrous proposal on Sunday alcohol ban

As the proposal would have applied to the hospitality and restaurants sectors, not only retail outlets, it drews torrents of criticism at the potentially devastating economic impact.

The revoking of the clause is in line with the current priority of government to promote economic growth and protection of jobs in various sectors of the economy that would have been affected by the proposal including hospitality, tourism and small business enterprises.

“The decision to withdraw the proposal is clearly an outcome of a democratic engagement process. All affected parties including the industry and traders made their earnest submission to the department. The genuine commitment to public consultation demonstrated by the department and the MEC in this process is much appreciated,” said Sibani Mngadi, External Affairs Manager at Brandhouse.

Mngadi reiterated Brandhouse’s commitment to fighting alcohol abuse through impactful programmes and collaborative initiatives where government and business work together to address problems of alcohol misuse.

Brandhouse fully supports responsible sale and consumption of liquor and is committed to work with government and other stakeholders to promote compliance with the existing regulations on the sale of alcohol.

“As an alcohol company, we trade only with alcohol businesses that are fully registered by the department. We are also investing additional resources to promote responsible alcohol trade amongst our customers in Gauteng and other provinces,” said Mngadi.