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Liquor orders in limbo

16 Jul 2020

President Ramaphosa's surprise reinstatement of South Africa's booze ban on Sunday night has been met with mixed emotions and debate around the timing and lack of notice for affected industries.

©portokalis via 123RF

Local online retailer OneDayOnly.co.za says that while it understands and supports the intentions behind the revised regulations, it feels for its suppliers and is concerned about the knock-on effects for itself and the industry as a whole.

In a tweet following the speech, former public protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela asked why regulations could not have been passed on a Thursday night to be effective from the Monday: “Businesses would have been saved from incurring costs for stock that will not move for a long time [and] Thursday would be ideal because trading from Friday to Sunday is prohibited."

What if the regulations were passed on a Thursday night to be effective from the following Monday. Businesses would have been saved from incurring costs for stock that will not move for a long time. Thursday would be ideal because trading from Friday to Sunday is prohibited. https://t.co/ZuJjBjblti
— Prof Thuli Madonsela (@ThuliMadonsela3) July 13, 2020

Regarding the way forward now for e-tailers and specifically OneDayOnly, company spokesperson Matthew Leighton explains that all alcohol orders that were scheduled for delivery on Monday, 13 July, have been recalled and they are in the process of receiving these back from their couriers. “We will then safeguard these orders until such time as we are able to dispatch,” says Leighton.

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Stock that the company was waiting to receive from its suppliers has been put on hold, meaning OneDayOnly's suppliers will not deliver until regulations allow.

When asked what he would recommend in terms of process for the industry, Leighton says, “First prize would be the ability to continue to sell with deferred delivery, as this will enable us to help support those wine farms and other outlets that will desperately need the economic support. This was our sales structure during Levels 4 and 5 of lockdown and, given the challenging situation, worked well.”