Alcohol sale now allowed under National Alert Level 3

Under National Alert Level 3, all licensed liquor outlets, including shebeens and taverns, will be able to sell alcohol on a takeaway basis. Finance, Economic Development and Tourism MEC, Mr. Pat Ngomane, emphasized that the sale of alcohol by licensed outlets will be permitted for consumption off the licensed premises only. This follows the release of the regulations for Alert Level 3 by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. “Under Alert Level 3, all licensed liquor outlets including shebeens and taverns, will be allowed to sell liquor but only for consumption off the licensed premises. By off-consumption, we mean people will only be allowed to buy liquor to take home to consume at their private residences. Therefore, consumption in premises will be strictly prohibited. I must stress that only licensed outlets, whether licensed to sell for on-consumption or off-consumption, will be allowed to sell liquor but for consumption off the licensed premises only. Level 3 regulations suspend the on-consumption condition for the outlets licensed as such and permit them to sell for off-consumption as well, during lockdown Alert Level 3.

Licensees must therefore adhere to the rules and regulations, as well as all safety measures, as provided. I must add that outlets with liquor licenses that expired during the lockdown period will also be permitted to sell, but all those with licenses that expired or lapsed long before the lockdown are prohibited from operating”, explained MEC Ngomane. In terms of the regulations, the sale of liquor at any licensed premises or through e-commerce delivery is permitted from Monday to Thursday, between 09:00 and 17:00, the transportation and distribution of liquor to licensed premises is permitted, the consumption of liquor at the place of sale is prohibited, the sale of liquor is prohibited on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and on public holidays, and no special or events liquor licenses may be approved for the duration of the national state of disaster.

The offices of the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator (MER) will remain closed until further notice, as the return to operations guidelines are being implemented. In the meantime, enquiries or submission of all documents can be forwarded via email to licensing@mer.org.za. Licensees and their customers are also reminded that the validity of licenses can be verified free of charge by using the SMS service offered by the MER or via portal on www.meronline.org.za.