Pretoria - Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has gazetted the National Liquor Norms and Standards 2014, which came into effect on Friday.
The purpose of the norms and standards is to ensure that liquor regulation and practices are harmonised and that there is effective and uniform enforcement of liquor laws.
They also seek to reduce the socio-economic and other costs of alcohol abuse by reducing access to the availability of liquor, among others.
According to the norms and standards, the licensee manager or person dispensing liquor at the premises must take steps to ensure the verification of anyone under the age of 18 by requesting an identity document, passport or driver’s licence before liquor is sold.
The norms also state that alcohol must not be sold to any person who refuses to provide identification when asked to.
The gazetted norms and standards also state that the licensee must not sell liquor to a person who already appears intoxicated as this is an offence and repeat contravention would lead to the suspension or termination of the liquor licence.
Licensees may not sell liquor to a person who has slurred speech, has difficulty in walking straight, becomes physically violent or becomes loud, boisterous and disorderly.
It also states that free drinking water (including tap water) must be made easily available at all on-consumption liquor outlets to patrons.
Additionally, all on-consumption outlets must provide ablution facilities for each gender and cater for people with disabilities at no additional cost.
The norms and the standards also state that free issue condoms must be easily available at the liquor premises at all times.
The licensee must also provide confirmation that the liquor premises to be licensed have complied with the basic safety and evacuation measures as prescribed by relevant legislation or municipal by-laws.
In addition to this, liquor premises should be weapon-free and the licensee must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the noise level from the liquor premises does not cause unacceptable disturbance or nuisance to neighbours.
Meanwhile a distribution license holder must keep records of all sales made and this must be in written or electronic form, while an off-consumption bottle store licence holder must keep a record for all sales of more than 25 litres to any unlicensed person. This must be in written or electronic form and must contain details such as full names and address of the purchaser and the kind and quantity of liquor supplied, among others.
All the sales records for distribution licence holders and off-consumption licence holders’ sales over the threshold of 25 litres must be kept for a period of five years from the date of sale. – SAnews.gov.za
