The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), in partnership with the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Department (Ledet) closed down five illegal taverns and issued fines totalling R83 500 during a three-day blitz inspection operation in Polokwane and surrounding areas.
The joint operation which commenced from 29 to 31 August 2013 was conducted by officials from the dti’s National Liquor Authority (NLA), Ledet, the South African Police Services, the Department of Home Affairs and the Polokwane Local Municipality.
According to the Director of Legal Support and Prosecutions at NLA, Advocate Sandile Nkosi, the aim of the blitz operation was to enforce compliance to the Liquor Act and to ensure that traders operated within the set regulations as stipulated by their licensing conditions.
“Within the three days of operation, we raided 192 operating outlets ranging from bottle stores, taverns, pubs and restaurants to manufactures and distributors. Of these establishments, we discovered five taverns were operating without legal licenses, and we appropriately closed them down. We also confiscated 8 500 litres of alcohol and issued fines totalling R83 500,” said Nkosi.
He added that the most common contravention was traders not complying with what is termed a “Liquor Restaurant License”. This license permits the trader to sell alcohol and serve food on their premises.
“In most establishments we would discover that the trader is solely trading in alcohol and not serving any food. Upon further investigation the trader would plead ignorance and state lack of knowledge as a factor. Of course all of these would be tactics to justify their transgressions and we know this for a fact as we have it on good authority that provincial liquor inspectors workshop these traders prior to us instituting a blitz operation,” added Nkosi.
The blitz operation targeted traders in and around the Polokwane Central Business District, Mankweng, Sebayeng, Solomondale and Westernburg, Zebediela and Lebowakgomo.
The Liquor Act of 2003, which is administered by the dti, requires the department to reduce the socio-economic costs of liquor abuse in the country. The Act also requires that the NLA to promote the development of a responsible and sustainable liquor industry in a manner that inculcates the ethos of social responsibility among other things.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe, Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 079 492 1774
Tel: 012 394 1650
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Twitter: @the_dti
