Booze by-law backdown

New year revellers can drink until the early morning hours on Saturday if they choose – the City of Cape Town has done a last minute U-turn on its controversial new liquor laws.

Yesterday Councillor Taki Amira, chairman of the Liquor Policy Task Team, announced that the new laws – outlawing alcohol sales after 11pm in residential areas and 2am in business areas – would not be implemented at New Year.

The announcement followed a meeting between Amira and city club and bar owners who said the laws would impact heavily on their businesses.

At the meeting, UCT student Rowan Dunne pointed out that the laws under which the council wanted to promulgate the new measures were not yet gazetted and would only be gazetted on January 14. Dunne, 28, is a Master’s student in social development, policy and management, and works part time in entertainment.

Amira announced the new measures on Tuesday, saying at a press conference that the new liquor by-law that regulated alcohol trading hours would take effect at midnight today “The city wants to remind liquor traders that the new trading hours kick in at the beginning of the new year,” Amira said on Tuesday.

He said this meant that bars and clubs in business areas would have to close by 2am tomorrow and that those close to residential areas, which may now enjoy late trading hours, would have to abide by the new legislation and close by 11pm, or risk losing their licences.

The news was met with disappointment by some businesses which were promoting big New Year’s Eve bashes.

But most traders contacted by the Cape Times accepted the new trading hours and pledged to comply with the regulations.

After the announcement, a host of objections flooded into the city council, with mayor Dan Plato having several emergency sessions with angry restaurant and club owners whose unhappiness led to their meeting yesterday withAmira.

After the meeting the city said: “The City would like to allay fears of club and restaurant owners with regards to the enforcement of the City’s new Liquor Trading Days and Hours By-Law. The by-law will be phased in over the next few months and will not be stringently enforced until all role players have been extensively educated and informed about the new legislation.”

Amira said the aim was not to close down clubs, bars and restaurants which did not comply by today, but to properly inform everyone affected by the new by-law in order for them to comply with the legislation.

Amira said the new measures would be brought in but not implemented. “As with all new legislation, it has been decided that this new by-law will be phased in over a period of time. During the first few months of 2011 we will educate and inform everyone affected by the by-law about its contents and what is expected of them.

We will not enforce the by-law, fine nor prosecute people until all role players have been properly educated and everyone has been given a fair chance to make sure they comply with the law.”

Restaurant and club owners used yesterday’s meeting to raise concerns.

Amira said the city had amended the original by-law and that the amended version would be officially approved on January 14.

Under the new by-law, establishments with a trading licence for non-alcoholic goods can stay open after the specified hours as long as they cease serving alcohol. But the law prohibits the sale and consumption of alcohol on the premises after hours.

Special events in need of a temporary licence will have to apply individually.

For a full schedule visit www.capetown.gov.za.

- Cape Times

Cape bars, clubs get grace period

Independent Newspapers

Cape Town clubs and bars are to be given several months grace to become "educated" on their reduced trading hours, the City said. Photo: Independent Newspapers

Cape Town clubs and bars are to be given several months grace to become “educated” on their reduced trading hours, the City said on Thursday.

In yet another confusing instalment in its crackdown on liquor sales, it said both that its new by-law would not be enforced at all until a later stage, and that it would not be “stringently” enforced until later.

The by-law, which limits the trading hours of inner-city bars and clubs to 2am, comes into effect at midnight on December 31.

Some venues were granted special dispensations under existing legislation to stay open to 4am.

A group of owners have threatened to go to court next week over the new law.

“The by-law will be phased in over the next few months and will not be stringently enforced until all role players have been extensively educated and informed about the new legislation,” the city's communications department said in a statement on Thursday.

However the statement also quoted the chairman of the council's liquor policy task team Taki Amira as saying: “We will not enforce the by-law, fine nor prosecute people until all role players have been properly educated.”

Everyone would be “given a fair chance to make sure they comply with the law”, he said.

On Wednesday he said in a media statement that bars and clubs in business areas “will have to close by 02:00 on January 1”, and that liquor outlets “will have to abide by the new legislation”.

Amira and the city have been unable to say whether the new by-law means businesses will be able to stay open after 2am, selling non-alcoholic products such as coffee, and what will happen if patrons order several drinks just before 2am.

Amira also maintained on Wednesday that there had already been adequate communication on the changes.

“When people say, we haven't been told, we haven't been communicated (with), it shocks me,” he said then.

He said in Thursday's statement that the aim was not to immediately close down clubs, bars and restaurants that did not comply, but to “properly inform everyone affected by the new by-law in order for them to comply”.

“As with all new legislation, it has been decided that this new by-law will be phased in over a period of time,” he said.

The City's safety and security chief, Richard Bosman, said that initially the City's law enforcement agencies would merely register complaints from the public “and keep record thereof for future reference”.

- Sapa

Massive cocaine bust in Knysna

Nearly 50 bags of cocaine bricks with an estimated street value of R380 million have been seized at the Knysna waterfront, and two Chinese, a Taiwanese and two Capetonians have been arrested.

Police said the haul is believed to be one of the biggest in the province. They were unable to say where the drugs had been destined for, nor from where it had come.

“This bust was a result of a well-planned sting operation by crime intelligence and the Knysna police service after they received information from the public regarding illegal activities taking place near the Knysna Waterfront,” said Captain Malcolm Pojie.

On Friday, police swooped on a flat at the waterfront where the five suspects lived.

“After being interrogated, the suspects accompanied the police to their boat where the police discovered the 48 bags of bricked cocaine.”

Pojie said the boat was anchored next to the flat. The cocaine and the boat, worth approximately R1.5m, were confiscated.

By late yesterday afternoon police were still on the scene, combing the area for further clues.

“The investigation will be conducted by the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation Unit, which is attached to the Hawks,” Pojie said. (from IOL)