The City of Cape Town has approved the recommendation to send the Draft By-law: Control of Undertakings that Sell Liquor to the Public, 2013, for a second round of public comment. The comment period will run from 1 October to 31 October 2013.
The new draft by-law is more comprehensive than the previous one, and contains a number of new provisions and, while core trading times remain, the new draft by-law allows for the application for extensions to trading days and hours.
Off-consumption licensees will, for instance, be allowed to apply for the right to trade on Sundays and to extend their trading hours within certain limits (i.e. no later than 20:00). At the moment, no off-consumption liquor outlet in Cape Town will be able to open after 6pm, nor to trade in alcohol on Sundays. There has been no change to on-consumption.
“The City continues to work towards balancing the needs of all the people of Cape Town and we invite the public to be part of the process of making this piece of legislation the best possible framework for the economic and social development of our city,” says the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic, Environmental and Spatial Planning, Councillor Garreth Bloor.
Alcohol abuse and misuse is associated with violence, accidents and chronic health problems. However, it is widely used for recreational and cultural purposes. Unduly restricting supply has been shown to have adverse side-effects on individuals and businesses. It is, therefore, necessary to seek a careful balance between the permitted times and hours of opening, as well as the responsibilities of individuals using alcohol and businesses that sell alcohol.
The public is encouraged to comment between 1 and 31 October by e-mail to liquor.bylaw@capetown.gov.za or by visiting www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay.
The draft by-law will also be available for viewing at all City libraries and subcouncil offices.