An Inspection blitz that started on Thursday by officials from the Department of Trade and Industry, (the dti), South African Police Service, KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Board and Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality saw about six liquor outlets closed down and fines to the value of twenty thousand rands being given to non-compliant license holders.
More than fifty-seven outlets raging from Taverns, Restaurants, Distributors and Manufacturers were raided in Durban Central Business District, Pinetown, New Germany, Hillcrest, Phoenix, KwaNyuswa and KwaMakhuta.
According to the Director of Legal Support and Prosecutions at the dti’s National Liquor Authority (NLA) Advocate Sandile Nkosi, the purpose of the inspection blitz was to enforce compliance with the liquor Act within the liquor industry in and around eThekwini, to visit problematic premises and to check who is trading where, with what.
“Most outlets that were given compliance notices and fines failed to adhere to the stipulated conditions of their licenses i.e. failure to produce licenses on the trading premises, failure to produce managers certificate if trading as juristic person, renewal of licenses, trading with a deceased license, trading beyond stipulated hours, juveniles drinking on premises, taverns and grocery stores combined, loud music and patrons drinking outside permitted areas,” said Nkosi.
He also said that most license holders indicated that they did not understand the Act itself and the conditions thereof.
“The lack of knowledge from license holders is alarming as the conditions are attached to the license when it is granted. It is also an encouragement on our side to be visible so that license holders should know who the National Liquor Authority, KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Board, and locally appointed Liquor officers from the South African Police Service are,” added Nkosi.
Vusi Mzobe, the Regional Manager for Compliance at the KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Board says there are plans for more raids in the near future with different stakeholders, and that the province will constantly do their monthly raids to monitor compliance.
“The blitz has shown over the years that working with various stakeholders who deal with different legislation of the liquor Act produces fruitful results than working in isolation,” said Mzobe.
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries indicated that the Liquor Product Act 60 of 1989 stipulates full compliance for manufacturers to indicate the alcohol volume as per the Act and mostly it is not the case. Also the manufactures do not comply with the requirements of labelling where the product is not what is inside the bottle.
Some of the products which were confiscated were fake Spirits, Smirnoff Vodkas and illegal gambling machines in one of the premises. The raids were conducted in terms of Section 26 of the National Liquor Act of 2003 which authorises the NLA to conduct inspection.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe, Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 079 492 1774
Tel: 012 394 1650
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
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