The Western Cape provincial government appears to be moving forward with the proposed amendments to the Western Cape Liquor Act.
Premier Alan Winde presented his state of the province address on Tuesday, 15 February, and said that the focus on violence prevention will also include tackling the “province’s deadly relationship with alcohol, which… is a major cause for violent crime in our province.”
He stated that the Provincial Cabinet has now granted in principle approval for the first set of amendments to the Western Cape Liquor Amendment Bill to be drafted. “Drafting instructions are now in an advanced stage, and should be completed imminently,” he expressed.
Winde also explained that the next steps will include a full Regulatory Impact Assessment process of the second set of proposed amendments to the bill.
“This two-step amendment process is to ensure that quick-win amendments can be made as soon as possible, and not be delayed by more significant changes that will require an extensive public participation process,” he said.
Some of the changes include putting measures in place to determine if a client is of legal drinking age, tightening up the process to prevent the illegal sale of alcohol and ensuring that outlets keep a record of all liquor sales.
Winde made a commitment to tackling alcohol-related harms in a way that will not hurt the economy and cost jobs, but expressed that they “cannot let the status quo continue either… We must be innovative and targeted in our approach so that we end this deadly relationship once and for all.”
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