Fita: Govt document shows booze, smokes will be banned throughout lockdown
The Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) says it is in possession of a government document which states that the ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco products will in fact continue throughout the lockdown.
Confusion reigned on Wednesday following a tweet sent by government's official account which stating that the ban on the products would remain in place throughout the lockdown period.
Government corrected the tweet a few hours later, saying it was incorrect and that the ban only applies to level 3 of the lockdown.
But Fita chairperson Sinenhlanhla Mnguni says they are in possession of a government factsheet which indicates that the ban would remain in place regardless of the lockdown level.
"We want to establish why then there is a factsheet, which is a government factsheet, and we are now told that it shouldn't have been leaked and they don't know how it got into the public domain which states that there is an intention to ban the sale of cigarettes and alcohol throughout the lockdown period.”
He says all they want is clarity and honesty from government.
"This is very concerning, there are many people who rely on this industry for a living and if the government is not candid, we want them to come clean on this issue. We do not know why the secrecy on a country that prides itself of being a constitutional democracy.
"We do not know what games government are playing all we want is for the president and his cabinet, to be honest with us as the stakeholders who are going to be affected by this decision it seems the government has taken.”
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Dean Macpherson has described the tweet as an insult to the industry and workers.
"What the government has done today is pull the middle finger to every person who works in the tobacco and alcohol industry, more so to all those restaurant owners, chefs and waiters who have been protesting today (Wednesday) against the ongoing alcohol ban.
“These bans on tobacco and alcohol are nothing other than a red herring for government's failure to increase hospital bed capacity in over 100 days over lockdown and tens of thousands of people across South Africa are paying for this failure with their jobs.”