Booze

President Cyril Ramaphosa. President Cyril Ramaphosa will update South Africa on the latest lockdown developments on Saturday. It has widely expected that the country will move to Alert Level 2 with certain restrictions being lifted. The address will be broadcast live on News24. President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on developments in South Africa's risk-adjusted strategy to…

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala PHOTO: Supplied by KZN government KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala says there is an easing of pressure on the province's trauma units since the alcohol ban.He also revealed that more than 1 500 health care workers have tested positive for Covid-19 in total.This makes up for around 4% of all cases in…

A nurse performs a swab test for Covid-19. The ban on alcohol sales is expected to reduce trauma admissions by 50 000 cases over eight weeks.This should save R1.3 billion and enable the treatment of about 18 000 Covid-19 patients in general wards or about 13 000 in ICU wards.Other measures than a ban would…

Gabola church leader Pope Tsietsi Makiti. The Gabola church, where congregants drink alcohol, has continued to hold gatherings after lockdown regulations relaxed. They have been moving services from place to place to avoid run-ins with the authorities.The country allows 50 worshippers to attend services, as per easing of regulations.When South Africa began easing its coronavirus lockdown…

Wineries around Cape Town fear a nine-week alcohol sales ban will leave a bad hangover that outlasts the coronavirus pandemic, as South African bottles lose their spots on international shelves and thousands of jobs are lost.Africa's most industrialised economy shuttered liquor stores at the start of a strict anti-coronavirus lockdown on 27 March to limit…