Alcohol Ban's Widespread Effects

The ban on the sale of alcohol could cost thousands of jobs and billions of rand. As a result, various industry role players are calling on government to end the ban with immediate effect. Jeandré van der Walt and Siyanda Sishuba report.

- Jeandre van der Walt and Siyanda Sishuba

The reinstated alcohol ban, which has been in effect since 28 December 2020, has far-reaching consequences and affects producers and employees in several industries, according to various agricultural role players. In early January, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ban, which was initially only expected to last two weeks, would be extended until 15 February. According to Ramaphosa, the ban on the sale of alcohol helped ease the burden on the country’s healthcare system, which was reportedly buckling under the stress of rising COVID-19 cases.

“Alcohol is produced from raw materials derived from agriculture, and involves various products, including malt sorghum, malting barley, maize, potatoes, and grapes. Some of these products are directly dependent on breweries in terms of demand and have far-reaching consequences if not processed,” Grain SA said in a statement.