Last week the SA wine industry groaned over the potential loss of an estimated R1.5bn in stock in the next few weeks as it ran out of space to store excess wine. The new grape harvest is due to start and there is no word about when the ban on alcohol sales will be lifted.
Put together these industries sustain the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have already lost their jobs due to the previous two bans. But the destruction of livelihoods in a country where millions are out of jobs and struggle to make ends meet is also a matter of huge concern.
While the same scale of support is not possible now, “We do not have the money, that is the simple truth,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told Radio 702 in an interview on Friday, additional support is both necessary and desirable.
DavidMaynier Allowing wine with meals is a reasonable compromise.
A middle ground would need to start with South Africans drinking responsibly and the industry being held accountable for the social impact of alcohol?
DavidMaynier Alcohol must wait until we start getting vaccinated.
There is no middle ground when we’re in the middle of a pandemic in a 3rd world country with a compromised healthcare system.
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