Archive post. Issued by SAMNET on 11 November 2024 and published here as part of SAMNET’s advocacy archive. The regulation cited is the KwaZulu-Natal position as at 2014; check the current text before relying on it in an objection.
- Know the laws.
- Use the laws.
- Make sure the laws are enforced.
- Work to change the laws.
A worked example
Under the KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Licensing Act, 2010 and the KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Licensing Regulations, 2013 (Provincial Notice 45 of 2014, as at 13 February 2014), Annexure E requires a liquor licence applicant to list:
Places of worship within a radius of 500 metres from the premises.
That single line is a lever. It means the application itself has to disclose what is nearby — which is exactly the information a community needs in order to object, and exactly the sort of requirement that goes unchecked when nobody is reading the applications.
We need to be more active
SAMNET has posted repeatedly on why stronger regulation of alcohol and gambling matters — for gender-based violence, health, safety and the social fabric — covering advertising, trading hours, locations, enforcement and lobbying.
This is why we need a dedicated and trained group of activists, volunteers and legal professionals to monitor applications and incidents, respond to them, and work to drive change.
It is equally important to coordinate with everyone else who shares the concern — educational, civil society, religious and health bodies — rather than fighting every fight in isolation. These are societal issues. They are not ours alone.
KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Licensing Regulations — Provincial Notice 45 of 2014 — Laws.Africa / African Law Library.
Related
Alcohol Advertising, Availability and Controls · South Africa’s Growing Gambling Problem · How Simple Exercises by Civil Society Keep Departments Accountable
Shared by the South African Muslim Network (SAMNET) in the interest of activism, protecting our communities, and alcohol and gambling harm reduction.