The Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI) will approach the Northern Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, in an attempt to lift the ban on the sale and transportation of wine, on 18 August.
According to Francois Rossouw, CEO of SAAI, the application is supported by 13 other applicants from “across the wine industry”, including Stellenbosch Wine Routes and local wineries, Fairview and Rust en Vrede.
The application comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa reinstated the ban on the sale and transportation of alcohol, to alleviate pressure on the health-care system, on 12 July.
The Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI) and several local wine farms will approach the Northern Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, on 18 August, to challenge the ban on the sale and transportation of wine. PHOTO: Fairview Wine Estate
Rossouw confirmed that the SAAI, along with several organisations and wine farms, will request that the court repeal a section of the new regulations to permit the serving of wine on wine farms and in restaurants.
According to Rossouw, wine farms are also tourist destinations and many form part of the restaurant industry – therefore, three industries directly affected by the ban on alcohol.
“If this ban goes on any longer we will see more and more family farms being lost as a result, and with that goes the tourism industry and restaurant industry, and we cannot let that happen,” said Rossouw.
The application to approach the court comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the reimposition of the alcohol ban, with immediate effect, on 12 July. INSTAGRAM POST: @fairviewwineandcheese
According to Charles Back, managing director of Fairview Investments, the tourism sector that makes up a large part of their business is completely non-existent at the moment.
“With a company like ours which is a diversified portfolio of wine and wine tourism – the tourism component is completely killed,” said Back. “So, it’s imperative that we put up a fight.”
‘One leg to stand on’
According to Jean Engelbrecht, managing director of Rust en Vrede, wineries cannot survive solely on one element of their business.
“Whether it’s the on consumption trade – which is restaurants – or the grocery stores, or exports, or domestic sales right here at the winery, they all form part of what makes the whole business tick,” said Engelbrecht. “So if you have only one leg to stand on, it helps you, but it doesn’t make the business survive.”
The Southern African Agri Initiative’s application to approach the court is supported by 13 other applicants from the industry, including local wineries, Fairview and Rust en Vrede. PHOTO: Rust en Vrede