National Liquor Traders Council created to transform tavern industry

The Council will represent the interests of more than 34,500 traders.

The tavern industry is estimated to be worth between R40bn and R60bn (Source: DTI 2018) and accounts for 80-90% of township alcohol sales and 43% of all alcohol sold in South Africa.

According to a statement from the new national structure, an advisory unit of the National Liquor Traders Council was mooted and it will be tasked with identifying and developing commercial opportunities for associations and traders in the industry, instilling a broader commercial sensibility in its members, providing opportunities in marketing, distribution, eventing and recycling.

The advisory unit will be led by Lucky Ntimane in his capacity as the Convenor of the newly-formed body.

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The National Liquor Traders Council was officially formed at a conference this past weekend. Industry players in support of the new body include the Beer Association of South Africa (Basa), led by its chairperson Aphiwe Nxusani-Mawela, and representatives from the Liquor Traders Association of South Africa (LTASA) led by its president Sean Robinson. Also in attendance at the formation were Distell, SAB and Touchsides.

The conference established a task team under new interim chairperson Hector Winston. Together with Lucky Ntimane, convenor of the Liquor Traders of SA, the team will work to prepare for a national elective conference in early February 2021.

Lucky Ntimane, convenor of the National Liquor Traders Council, addresses conference attendees.

Winston committed the leadership collective that emerged from the consultative conference to work together with all liquor trader associations. He said, “The associations are on the ground and have a civic duty to build stable structures to ensure that taverns become places of responsible trading and operate in compliance with all applicable laws.

“They would now be at the forefront of promoting responsible drinking, including becoming champions in the fight against gender-based violence in their communities.”

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Addressing the conference, Ntimane thanked Distell and Basa for their sponsorship of the event. “Basa, Distell, and the liquor industry have made significant commitments supporting the taverners during Covid-19 trading environment through their supply of care packs comprising masks, sanitisers and an informational booklet on responsible trading of alcohol and how to be compliant with the government’s pandemic regulations,” he said.

The event was facilitated by Olatoye Amosun, CEO of Consumatech, an organisation which develops technology solutions designed for Africa. Amosun presented a commissioned report, titled 'Realizing the Potential of the Tavern Industry' which highlighted the potential of taverns to shift from being social hubs to economic hubs.