The Gauteng Liquor Board (GLB) says it will no longer issue any special dispensation liquor licenses following public outrage about its decision to extend trading times for licensed in-house liquor traders for the coming weekend when the ANC celebrates its 105 birthday.
This comes after the Board on Tuesday announced special dispensation liquor licences, or a weekend-pass, for the January 6-8 weekend of the annual birthday celebration of the ruling party.
In a statement, the GLB said it had been inundated with applications for extensions of liquor trading times for this upcoming weekend.
But public outrage was immense and stakeholders who voiced displeasure included the ANC Women’s League, which warned that it would not allow the party’s “January 8” historic event to be turned into a drinking spree.
Having considered feedback from the public and other key stakeholders, and after consultation with Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Lebogang Maile, the GLB announced that liquor trading times would no longer be extended for this coming weekend.
The national Spokesperson for the ANC Zizi Kodwa took to twitter on Wednesday morning saying the decision to link the extended drinking hours to ANC celebrations was malicious and had nothing to do with the ANC. He said the ANC did not apply for drinking laws to be relaxed and condemned it .
