The South African wine producers' association Vinpro announced on 27 January that it had filed a lawsuit against the alcohol sales ban in South Africa. On 28 December 2020, a ban on the sale of alcohol came into force in South Africa for the third time within a year. The South African government's justification for the measure is to relieve hospitals of alcohol-related treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic. A court hearing is scheduled to take place on 5 February.
In its press release, Vinpro stresses that it has always sought contact with the government during the pandemic. The wine industry had installed numerous protective measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Vinpro also showed an understanding in principle for the government's protective measures. However, in view of the declining infection figures, the alcohol ban is excessive, unnecessary, unfounded and counterproductive.
Vinpro calls for a more flexible and differentiated approach based on empirical data. Decisions on sales bans should be made at provincial level for the continuation of the pandemic, where responsibility for alcohol sales and hospitals usually lies.
With 19 weeks of alcohol sales bans since March 2020, the South African wine industry is in a difficult economic situation. In the upcoming autumn, there could be capacity problems in the cellars due to pandemic-related sales declines.
