Gauteng to review alcohol sale regulations beyond COVID-19: Makhura

Gauteng Premier David Makhura says the province is planning to review the regulations around the sale of alcohol beyond COVID-19.

He was speaking at the Buccleuch interchange north of Johannesburg where he handed over 55 high-performance German vehicles to the provincial police service.

Makhura hands-over high performance vehicles to SAPS in Gauteng:

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The vehicles will be used in the fight against priority crimes such as car hijackings and bursiness and house robberies in Gauteng.

Makhura says the illegal sale of alcohol is a major problem in the province.

“This year we are going g to review all the regulations governing the sale of liqour because some of the outlets that are selling liquor in our communities are located just next to our schools, next to Early Childhood Development centres. So we want to regulate, tighten the regulations of the sale of alcohol, which is part of the longterm response to dealing with crime.”

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the South Africa Drug Policy Initiative, Doctor Keith Scott has warned that alcohol abuse poses other dangers apart from causing an increase in trauma cases that put pressure on hospitals’ casualty wards.

Doctor Scott says alcohol abuse causes a number of ailments.

“Apart from the COVID-19 situation, not only that alcohol is responsible for trauma violence, family violence, traffic accidents but it also causes a lot of diseases and also causes at least eight common cancers. It causes hepatitis, pancreas cancer and obviously heart disease and it can cause acute death and various brain disorders.”