Today I have written to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, to request that the deadline for public comment on the Liquor Amendment Bill be extended by 30 days.

It is clear from the presentation made by the Department of Trade and Industry today that it is wholly unprepared for the unintended consequences which will be set in motion should the Liquor Bill become law.

It is also clear that the government has failed to take into account the knock-on effects of blanket prohibitive clauses in the draft Bill, which could compromise countless jobs while neglecting the social ills of alcohol abuse.

There is significant public interest in this bill with a number of moral, constitutional and economic problems that need further consideration.

We must give the public every opportunity to participate on this key piece of legislation, and the current deadline of 15 November 2016 simply doesn’t give enough time.

In due course, the DA will be setting out our position on the bill which will seek to right the many mistakes we have identified by the department.

 

Issued by DA