The City of Cape Town’s new by-law to curtail alcohol trading hours comes in to effect at midnight on 31 December 2010. Breaking the new law will result in a fine of up to R30 000, a prison term of up to three years, or both.
The by-law was approved by the municipality on 28 July 2010 and states that liquor trading hours in business centres will run from 11:00 to 02:00 the following morning. Trading hours in residential areas will be from 11:00 to 23:00. This applies to all bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels.
Final amendments were made on 9 December 2010 to allow hotels to open bar facilities until 02:00 and include the provision of champagne breakfasts. Wineries on wine estates will also be allowed to trade from 11:00 to 24:00 and to trade ‘off consumption’ from 09:00 to 18:00 seven days a week.
Traders need to be aware of the fact that the new trading hours supersede all other licensed hours and come into effect with their 2011 liquor licence, irrespective of when it was renewed or granted.
There have been a number of concerns raised by disgruntled members of the hospitality industry, including a predicted decrease in revenue and as a result, being unable to retain all staff.
On the flip-side, this new by-law is hoped to have a positive impact on safety levels in general, decrease noise pollution and curb drunk driving. Channel24 music editor Anton Marshall also identifies an opportunity for live music artists to benefit from the by-law: shows starting at 23h00 are “great if you’re 18, young, dumb and full of shooters. Not so great if you’re 35, with a job to get to tomorrow, and potentially a family (or animals) back home.” He suggests that if shows start earlier they may appeal to a wider age group, boosting concert sales.
Let us know your thoughts on how this liquor law will impact on the social scene in Cape Town.
Read the full by-law on capetown.gov.za
Sources: politicsweb.co.za; capetown.gov.za; channel24.co.za. Image source: designofsignage.com
