Swazi Observer

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BUSINESS ESWATINI BACKS GOVERNMENT’S ALCOHOL BAN

By KWANELE DHLADHLA | 2021-01-24

Business Eswatini has lamented anticipated negative effects emanating from the strengthened partial lockdown but stated that they fully understand the reasoning behind it.

Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku on Wednesday announced tightened COVID-19 regulations which entail a ban on the sale of alcohol of any kind for four weeks.

Masuku said the ban on the sale of alcohol included the brewing, processing and selling of Buganu, which is a traditional brew that is currently in season.

“Any retailer who offends this directive will face serious consequences including the suspension of their trading license as it has happened recently to others,” Masuku said when announcing the ban.

Business Eswatini Chief Executive Officer (CEO) E.Nathi Dlamini explained that as an association they were always expected to confine themselves to matters of business and the economy, which is actually their mandate.

However, he pointed out they were are also human beings, have families which they love, some of whom have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dlamini said they were fully cognisant of the frailties within the local health system in the middle of an extremely vicious variant of COVID-19.

“We are still swimming in red ink as a result of the first lockdown in 2020, and it is even more difficult to describe in words what impact this one will have. We are going to suffer immeasurably as more businesses will start faltering and jobs put on the line.

However, we do understand government’s position,” said Dlamini. The CEO said the national fiscal was perennially poor such that the small financial aid packages government had purported to have dished out to assist struggling businesses was too miniscule an amount, even to make the slightest dent to the problem.

lockdowns

“The needs of the private sector are too huge and lockdowns only serve to compound them,” Dlamini noted.

“Business Eswatini stated that alcohol abuse had been well documented to be a super-spreading practice in the past, hence the ban on alcohol was not entirely unexpected. He disclosed that they would have preferred that hotels and their residents be spared from the ban when they consume their meals with alcohol.

“By the way, I hope churches who use alcohol for their communion service should be aware this ban applies to them too,” Dlamini advised.

In recent times, Dlamini said the liquor industry, cognisant of the grave impact of such bans on their industry and the economy as a whole, had been to their credit upholding health protocols; partnering with government and the health department and sensitising drinkers on the effects of alcohol abuse. Business Eswatini mentioned that they had also been monitoring the situation and have been discouraging reckless alcohol consumption.

“We cannot claim to have been totally successful on this because there were still pockets of reckless drinking in some parts of the country,” said Dlamini. The CEO further advised that the public transport is also a ‘potential’ super-spreader, which needs to be closely monitored and protocols enforced.

“The use of fake sanitisers is another cruel crime that Business Eswatini has been categorically discouraging and has to be fully monitored going forward. In conclusion, we would like to state that Business Eswatini is not averse to the decision made by government yesterday,” added Dlamini.

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