Banning alcohol during lockdown: it is not just about the virus or economics

The announcement of the total ban on alcohol sales in the days before the COVID-19 lockdown led to an alcohol rush hour as South Africans flocked to liquor stores to fill their trolleys. Drug-policy activists warned that the ban was dangerous for addicts and the Gauteng Liquor Forum, which represents approximately 20 000 mostly township-based shebeens and taverns, threatened to go to the Constitutional Court if the ban was not lifted. However, on 17 April 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the ban would remain in force for the duration of the lockdown.