The National Gambling and Liquor Policy Council meeting was held on 2 August in Cape Town, to discuss issues affecting the two industries.
It has resolved amongst others to refer the final draft on Norms and Standards and draft Amendment of Liquor Regulations for formal comments and approval by different Council members. The Council is constituted by Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, and the provincial MECs of Economic Development.
Update on the Strategy to Combat Liquor Abuse
The DTI is the lead department in liquor regulation, a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on combating substance abuse and also a member of the Central Drug Authority [CDA].
Each member department has the responsibility to develop and implement a “Drug Master Plan”, in the case of the liquor regulators, it is the strategy to combat liquor abuse. The action steps of the strategy contribute to government’s programme of action to combat substance abuse.
Council was briefed on the progress made in the previous financial year. Four major campaigns were undertaken reaching 916 671 people, the flagship was the Sobriety Week campaign held at Mafikeng from the 7th to 14th September 2012, championed by Deputy Minister Thabethe and MEC Motlalepule Rosho.
Council appreciated the report and highlighted that it would be ideal to also understand the outcome and impact the campaigns are making in turning the tide on abuse and advised that regulators should also look at focused session with other formation of society that have the responsibility to also focus on combating abuse.
The draft framework on delivery of intervention to combat liquor abuse
A draft framework aimed at guiding liquor regulators on how to harness the resources available in order to deliver programmes directed at combating liquor abuse was presented. Council commented on the draft and referred it back to the regulators to refine further so that it defines the roles of the different parties while it still espouses the spirit of cooperative governance.
Norms and Standards
The draft Norms and Standards that Council had commented on in the previous sitting were presented. The version presented included the comments made by Council and the general public.
Council was comfortable with the version and referred the final draft for formal comments and approval by different member of Council. If approved, the Norms and Standards will ensure that uniform standards are applied in the different provinces in relation to trading hours, proximity of liquor outlets to schools and other areas of similar interest. The norms and standards will also be incorporated into the draft liquor policy the DTI is working on.
Liquor licensing information
The National Liquor Licensing Information that tracks the trends on the licenses was presented. The presentation highlighted the number of licenses in the country per province in all categories.
The trend indicates that the number of licenses in the country was growing by ±2% annually since 2011. Council noted progress made in tracking data and advised the regulators to bring in the factor that would assist to also track the amount of liquor sold through licensed outlets. Council also reiterated on the need to concentrate on ensuring that illegal outlets are closed down and that perpetrators account for their actions.
Amendment to Liquor Regulations
An Amendment to the Liquor Regulation in relation to the Liquor Act 59 of 2003 that was published for public comment was presented. The draft had incorporated comments received from the public. Council appreciated the process followed based on the powers of the Minister and Council. The regulations were referred for final consultation and approval by different members of Council before publication.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe, Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
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