The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) on Tuesday, said it would host a National Liquor Authority (NLA) compliance consultative workshop targeting manufacturers and distributors within the liquor industry.
The purpose of the workshop on Wednesday, at the dti Campus in Pretoria, is to enhance compliance and raise awareness on the Liquor Act of 2003.
Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies said the consultative workshop will serve as a platform to ensure that appropriate education is provided to manufacturers and distributors of liquor to foster responsible trading through compliance, enforcement and responsible licensing.
“The liquor business has always been perceived by South Africans as the easiest business to operate. Many role players do not understand the intricacies of this mode of business and as a result, there is high level of non-compliance within the liquor industry. Compliance to liquor laws is an integral part of transforming the industry and ensuring that it develops in a responsible manner,” Davies said in a statement.
Davies said that priority objectives of the Liquor Act was to promote the development of a responsible and sustainable liquor industry in a manner that facilitates the entry of new participants, diversification of ownership and inculcating ethos of social responsibility.
He said that the consultative workshop was mainly targeted at NLA registrants, macro manufactures, distributors, consultants and key stakeholders involved in the process of registration and enforcement such as the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and other key departments.
“The regulation of liquor is a shared competency of both national and provincial government. Liquor authorities have a mandate to enforce compliance by manufacturers, distributors and retailers to mandatory conditions stipulated in their registrations and/or licences. Liquor manufacturers and distributors have a responsibility and a legislative obligation to operate within the parameter of the legislation,” Davies said. (via African News Agency)
