Long Live the Spirit of Liquor Traders

SALTA COLUMN

LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF LIQUOR TRADERS!

Our past leaders who fought for the liberation of the oppressed must be turning in their graves. So much money is being spent on legal matters relating to no-win cases at the expense of the taxpayers. These shenanigans must come to an end! We, as SALTA, appreciate that there is unity in the liquor industry regarding the different stakeholders, distributors and associations, yet there is still one enemy: the apartheid laws that are still in existence today. It is a matter of concern by our government’s failure to repeal the zoning and consent use requirements. Surely, if we had to take this matter up with the Constitutional Court, we would be victorious. The matter brought by the Democratic Movement to the court against the Speaker of Parliament and the outcome thereof says it all. The sooner these laws are removed or repealed, the sooner we as liquor traders will shout hallelujah! This brings into perspective the land issue. I am so excited that even our President now speaks of the expropriation of land without compensation because, without ownership of land, it will forever be difficult for our people to run their businesses under the present conditions. As a result of this, it is still impossible for permit holders to get shebeen licences. The government also emphasises the issue of radical economic transformation. The ruling party held its 5th National Policy Conference at Nasrec from the 30th of June to the 5th of July where the issue of radical economic transformation took centre stage. It is about time that we, as black entrepreneurs, reclaim our dignity and demand space to carry out our business activities without being harassed and intimidated, so that we can enjoy the fruits of economic freedom in our lifetime. We are still awaiting the outcome of the judgment regarding the Yeoville issue. The feeling amongst the SALTA members is that we will be back to square one regardless of the outcomes of the judgment. The issue of concern and the challenges of obtaining shebeen permits and liquor licences will still be there unless we revisit our laws.

The present government should stop treating liquor traders like non-entities. If they don’t, we will go to the streets to make our presence felt very soon. Finally, we are aware that as liquor traders, we deal with a substance that can be harmful if abused. But, we plead with law enforcement officers to work with us in dealing with the ills associated with alcohol and the unfortunate rise in drug usage on our streets. Our future leaders are diminishing at an alarming rate but TOGETHER, we can win this battle. LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF

LIQUOR TRADERS, LONG LIVE!

SALTA President, Mish Hlophe