Presidency denies speculation of third alcohol ban, but DA isn’t buying it – CapeTalk

The Presidency says there is no truth to the rumour that government is looking to reintroduce an alcohol ban.

On Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu gave a briefing on the outcome of this weeks Cabinet meeting.

Mthembu told the media that Cabinet has not discussed a ban on the sale of alcohol with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCC).

The Democratic Alliance (DA) claims that there is a strong lobby within the ANC to introduce another ban on alcohol sales.

Earlier this week, a false Whatsapp message claimed President Cyril Ramaphosa would be banning booze again.

Despite assurances from Minister Mthembu, DA MP Dean MacPherson says he's not convinced.

Quite frankly, I'm not interested in what Minister Mthembu has to say, I'm more interested in what the public comments are by key members in the ANC because they will determine what the government does at the end of the day

MacPherson says the party has been reliably informed that some senior ANC members are pushing for another ban.

He says a number of top ANC officials have made concerning public comments about the resumption of alcohol sales since last week.

Police Minister Bheki Cele, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, and the Gauteng Health department have all been vocally opposed to alcohol, he tells CapeTalk.

MacPherson, the DA's shadow minister of trade and industry, claims the ANC calls the shots when it comes to key government decisions.

What the government says and what the ANC wants are normally two different things, that's why we're very focused on the discussion happening within the ANC.

My information to date has been pretty good from my sources within the government, and it makes sense when you measure it against the utterances of various key voices in this debate.

As long as the ANC has been in its existence, they've always had an ideological opposition to alcohol, along with their allies.

Listen to the discussion on Afternoon Drive:

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Presidency denies speculation of third alcohol ban, but DA isn't buying it - CapeTalk