Another Family Meeting On the Cards for Sunday as Alert Level 4 Deadline Looms

• The extended Alert Level 4 restrictions are set to expire at midnight on Sunday and President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation
• There is wild speculation on what the president will announce with many hoping for restrictions to be relaxed
• Schools are set to reopen on Monday and South Africans are hoping that this would also allow for other sectors of the economy to come online

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President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on Sunday evening, hours before the expiry of the extended Alert Level 4 lockdown restrictions.

There is widespread speculation on what Ramaphosa will say as the rate of Covid-19 infections remains high, according to IOL.

Schools are due to reopen on Monday and other sectors of the economy are hoping that Ramaphosa will relax restrictions, particularly the alcohol industry.

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SABC reported that the Covid-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee has said that South Africa has reached the peak of the third wave of infections at the beginning of July.

The number of new infections is starting to decrease but hospital admissions are continuing to increase. Covid-19 deaths trail new infections by a number of weeks.

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Pick n Pay CEO wants government to lift alcohol ban

Pieter Boone, CEO of the Pick n Pay Group, has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to lift the ban on alcohol sales soon.

Lifting the alcohol ban, according to Boone, will be especially advantageous to businesses that have been severely harmed by recent looting and rioting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, according to a report by BusinessTech.

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This week, Boone travelled to KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng to inspect damaged businesses, warehouses, and distribution centres.

Beer Association of South Africa says industry suffered huge losses in Gauteng and KZN unrest

The Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) has also called on the South African government to lift the ban on alcohol sales to prevent the industry from totally collapsing. Speaking to Briefly News, BASA says that the industry took a huge hit during the unrest, especially in KwaZulu-Natal.

The organisation says one of its key members Heineken's warehouse and distribution centres were looted of stock and equipment worth millions of rands. Craft beer brewers also suffered huge losses with many unable to save their stock or start brewing again.

BASA says there is a serious need for the government to intervene and save businesses. They suggest that the ban on alcohol sales should be lifted on 26 July. BASA is also concerned about alcohol being sold on the black market which is estimated to be worth R20.5 million.

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Source: Briefly News