Gauteng Premier David Makhur at the opening of a food bank during lockdown.
Photo: Twitter/Gauteng Provincial Government
Gauteng Premier David Makhur at the opening of a food bank during lockdown.
Photo: Twitter/Gauteng Provincial Government
Gauteng Premier David Makhura, has said that alcohol sales should be regulated even after the current lockdown period comes to an end.
Speaking in Ekurhuleni on Tuesday 14 April where he was present for the opening of the Springs food bank, Makhura said that while he would not sanction a total prohibition on alcohol sales, he would endorse measures to curb sales as a reduced crime rate was an appealing statistic.
“Going forward beyond COVID-19, I think we must see how we must strengthen regulation. I am not talking about banning the sale of liquor forever. Of course there are those who believe it must be done,” Makhura said.
‘South Africans drink too much’
He said that the worrying correlation between alcohol consumption and crime and road deaths in South Africa was reason enough to consider changes to regulatory policy going forward.
“South Africans drink too much, just too much and it causes accidents, and it causes fights.”
He said that since the ban, crime has decreased significantly in the province, with less incidents involving gun and knife related injuries.
“Our hospitals are reporting that they no longer have people arriving there with stab wounds, gun shot wounds and motor vehicle incident generated wounds. It is good enough.”
He said during this year’s Easter weekend there were only two road fatalities, whereas on average between 25 and 45 people are killed on Gauteng roads during this period in years gone by,
Makhura said that it is therefore imperative that we at least consider the negative impact of alcohol on our society.
“We must find ways of dealing with the negative impact of alcohol in our society.”
Conflated principles
Makhura’s sentiment, while well-meaning, fails to acknowledge the vastly decreased number of cars on the road during this period though.
There were far fewer cars on the roads as a result of provincial travel bans, and road access is only permitted to those carrying out essential services.
The alcohol ban has also been lauded as a success in terms of curbing violent crime, but domestic violence reports have flooded the South African Police Service since the start of the lockdown.
Food banks
Makhura will continue visiting the province’s various food banks throughout Tuesday afternoon, with the initiatives reportedly feeding thousands of families during the lockdown.
The five food banks across the Gauteng distribute to 2 000 households each day. Since the start of the lockdown, the Gauteng government say that almost 15 000 families have been provided with meals.
