Liquor Act stays, window period for licence renewal
The Limpopo High Court in the city last Thursday dismissed the urgent application brought by the Sekhukhune Liquor Traders Association for the application of the newly implemented Limpopo Liquor Act to be nullified.
Judge Gerrit Muller also did not reverse any of the regulations within the Act, and said he could not find any wrongdoing by the Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, in the processes leading up to the implementation of the new Act. The complainants in the matter argued that traders had, in the run-up to the implementation of the Act, not properly been consulted.
MEC Rogers Monama previous maintained that due process had been followed for a number of years, but that traders were slow to respond to the department’s information sessions and public participation hearings and that no objections were received from the public or industry stakeholders prior to implementing the Act.
According to the new Act, liquor may only be sold in the province until midnight. Another stipulation reads
that the new Act allows for liquor to be traded on Sundays.
The department this week issued a provincial notice, requiring liquor licence holders to convert their licences to the new Act by July
31, 2024, failing upon which their licences would lapse.
Monana said the conversation of licences was compulsory for all licence holders.
In several court appearances, liquor traders from as far as Mopani joined the court proceedings, afterwards lamenting the loss of income they were suffering.
Traders were relieved about the granting of a window period in which to renew their licences.
Departmental spokesperson, Zaid Kalla discourage the applicants in the matter, and the EFF in the Capricorn region as the second applicant, to pursue courts any further, saying their office is open for further deliberations.
“Our collaboration is with the community and traders. It would be a further waste of money if we take each other to court, when we are the department of the people. We advise political parties to familiarise themselves with the processes leading up to formulation of Acts, so as not to politicise matters,” he added.